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12345 Spareribs

The name of this dish may be cute, but it also reflects its simplicity; it is an honest sweet-and-sour pork dish. While the ribs need to braise for at least 40 minutes, the preparation time is just 10 minutes or so. Ask your butcher to cut across the ribs to form 1-inch strips (a supermarket butcher can do this), then have him separate the ribs, or you can do that part yourself. This dish reheats perfectly. Serve the ribs with white rice.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    makes 4 servings

Ingredients

2 pounds spareribs, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
2 tablespoons white or rice vinegar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
4 tablespoons sugar
5 tablespoons water

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Place a deep skillet with a lid over medium-high heat and brown the spareribs on each side, turning after 2 or 3 minutes.

    Step 2

    Whisk together the remaining ingredients and pour into the skillet. Cover the skillet, turn the heat to low, and simmer for about 40 minutes, stirring the ribs occasionally to make sure they don’t burn. When the ribs are fork-tender, serve hot or cover and refrigerate for up to a day before reheating.

The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved. MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.
TagsRibsChineseEast AsianAsianSpare RibPork RibPorkMeatMainDinnerDairy FreeNut FreeEasyMake AheadBraiseWokLunar New YearCookbooks
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