Tea Leaves

Chinese Braised Ribs

This is another one of my mom's dishes. I grew up with this, but never really thought about how it was done. In college, I tried literally dozens of times to get this even close to right. Finally, with enough practice it just started happening. The keys are the ratio of soy to sugar and cooking the ribs for a long time.

Start with one rack of spare ribs or baby back ribs. Have the guy at the store saw the rack in half vertically so you end up with two racks each of which are only a few inches wide. When you get the racks home, cut them up into individual riblets.

You will also need one bunch of scallions, cut up into large pieces, and a couple of carrots peeled and cut up.

Heat up a medium sized soup pot (4-6 quarts will do). When it's hot, add oil and 3-4 tablespoons of sugar. Throw in the ribs and stir them around so they are coated with the sugar and starting to brown. Then toss in the vegetables and stir some more. Let the whole thing saute for a minute or two. Grind some pepper over everything. I have to resist the urge to reflexively add salt to the saute. But a little doesn't hurt.

Now combine about a cup of soy sauce and a cup of water. Pour this over the ribs. If there isn't enough liquid to cover, add some more water. At this point you might have to add a bit more soy to balance things. You can also add red wine if you like that kind of thing. The soy to water ratio should be about 1-to-1, but it's really more a matter of taste and discretion.

After adding the liquid, put 3-4 more tablespoons of sugar in the pot. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and get things to a simmer. Cover the pot and go play Halo for a and hour. After an hour, check the sauce to make sure it's salty and sweet enough. If too salty, add some water. or wine.

Now go back and play Halo for a few more hours, letting the ribs cook until the ribs are infused with the sauce and the meat falls off the bone easily. In addition, the sauce should be a nice combination of "soy saucy" and sweet. This takes a few tries to get right, so experiment until you get it to where you like it.