1-2-3-4-5 Sticky Spareribs

Darlings, sorry that this took longer than I thought but, as promised, here is the recipe for the ribs that I made on New Year’s Eve. And yes, they did taste as good as they look. I think my photography has really improved!

This recipe is adapted by 1-2-3-4-5 Sticky Spareribs (Tang Chu Pai Gu) from The Asian Grandmothers Cookbook.

• 1 tbsp rice wine
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 3 tbsp vinegar
• 4 tbsp soy sauce
• 5 tbsp water (more as needed)
• 2 lbs country-style pork ribs, cut into bite-sized chunks, excess fat removed. Keep bones in

In a dutch oven combine the first 5 ingredients. Then add the ribs and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 35-40 minutes (or however it looks to you. Eyeball it). Add water a wee bit at a time in case the meat starts to dry out. When the ribs are covered in the glaze and there is no liquid not absorbed, serve!

The original recipe called for pork spareribs, but they are awfully expensive and you always have to buy a full rack. If you are lucky enough to have a grocery store or a butcher who will cut the rib bones into riblets, do that. You can freeze the other strips that you don’t use right away.

I chose the country-style because they are cheap, can be easily cut into bite-sized pieces at home, and you can buy them in sizes smaller than VALUE-SIZE!

The original recipe notes that you can experiment with different types of alcohol for the rice wine–beer, sherry, brandy–and get a different flavor.

I also recommend maybe adding some red pepper flakes or some extra sugar to make these a tangy-spicy-sweet rib.

So there you have it. Easy-peasie, one-two-threesie (and four and fivesies).