'Honey' Mi Zi Ribs

Mi zi ribs

This recipe is from a Chinese website and I had help from my daughter to translate some crazy sentences such as 'kaiguo sauce', which means turning up the fire to reduce the sauce and "heat the pan, put sugar in the fire glycated open blister", which means heat the sugar until it bubbles. The amount of ingredients were not listed and the step by step photos did not show the addition of honey, but I think you can add some honey at the end to glaze the ribs. I didn't, because there was enough sugar in the ribs. I've added garlic powder to the ribs because I like the flavor and the powder is soon going past the expiry date but you can just use fresh garlic. The ribs turned out superb--sweet, sticky, moist and delicious, "better than the restaurants" (said my son)--so do give it a try, especially when you need that sugar high.

   Similar to my super yummy soy sauce duck (you must cook that!), the sugar is melted in the oil. This will give a beautiful, shiny, sticky glaze later.

    Everything's added all at once; super easy recipe.

    Water is added to the level of the ribs.

    When the ribs are soft, the sauce is reduced by heating it at high heat until it thickens.

    Home-grown cilantro, yum.

'Honey' Mi Zi Ribs

1 kg pork belly ribs, about 5 cm or longer
1/2 bulb garlic, minced
2 T garlic powder (optional)
two pinches of fine salt
2 1/2 T light soy sauce (or to taste)--I used Lee Kum Kee Selected Light SS
2 1/2 T dark soy sauce (or to taste)
1 T tomato ketchup
3 T veg oil
3 T coarse or fine white sugar (you can reduce this by a tablespoon and add some honey at the end)
1 small piece (size of your thumb) rock sugar
2 T rice wine

Garnish with: toasted sesame seeds, cilantro & blanched broccoli

1. Scald the ribs with boiling water & drain well.
2. Marinade ribs with garlic powder, salt and soy sauces for at least 1/2 hour (or overnight like I did).
3. Add the oil and sugar to an unheated pot and turn the heat on at medium. Melt the sugar until it is lightly golden in color. It's ok if the melted sugar hardens (it won't if you use more oil but for health reasons, I used less oil); it will melt again when water is added to it.
4. Add the ribs, including the marinade sauce, and the minced garlic to the pot and stir at high heat until evenly coated with the melted sugar.
5. Add enough water to reach the level of the ribs. Cover and simmer at medium low heat (make sure the sauce bubbles) until ribs are tender (depending on the size of the ribs, about 30 to 45 min) but not too soft because they still need to be cooked for another 15 to 20 minutes to reduce the sauce. You can add more soy sauce (light for taste, dark for color) but remember that the ribs will be saltier and darker when the sauce is reduced.
6. Remove the cover, add the rice wine and turn the heat to the highest, stirring frequently to reduce the sauce.
7. Plate up with a border of blanched broccoli and top with toasted sesame seeds and cilantro leaves. Goes very well with plain rice.