Caramelized spare ribs are a stable for lunch or dinner at my parents’ house. We would eat it as part of a rice dish with fresh vegetables and a slice of egg and pork meatloaf (cơm sườn bì chả). These pork ribs are cooked quickly so the meat have a chewier texture than the American version where the meat falls off the bones. This dish is very easy to prepare and takes only 30 minutes to cook.

Difficulty: Easy / Servings: 4 / Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

3 lb. of pork ribs

1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons coconut soda (Coco Rico)

3 tablespoons of fish sauce

2 tablespoons of sugar

1 yellow onion, quartered

1/2 tablespoon of mushroom seasoning (if this is not available, use chicken bouillon powder or skip it)

10 cloves of minced garlic and 1 clove of crushed garlic

Ground pepper

Salt

Scallion for garnish

Olive oil for cooking

Directions:

Cut the spare ribs into approximately 2-3 inch segments. This is roughly 2-3 bones per segment.

Marinate the ribs with 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of ground pepper and 10 cloves of minced garlic for 10 minutes.

In a mixing bowl, combine 3 tablespoons of fish sauce, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons of coco rico soda.

Heat a pan on high with 3 tablespoons of oil and 1 clove of crushed garlic for added flavor. Once the clove turns brown, remove from the oil.

Seared both side of the pork ribs. Once one side is golden brown, sear the other side. This takes approximately 10 minutes. You can close the lid to allow the steam to cook the ribs during the searing.

After approximately 10 minutes, add the sauce, 1 cup of water, 1 onion quartered and 1/2 tablespoon of mushroom seasoning to the pan. Stir to incorporate the ingredients.

Simmer on medium heat for another 10 minutes until the ribs have been fully cooked and the liquid have been absorbed by the ribs. You can check this by poking a hole in the meat and the juice runs clear.

Garnish with the white scallions ends for color and added flavor.

Serve the ribs with rice and a side salad.

Add a slice of egg and pork meatloaf to complete a traditional rice dish.

Check back next week for the  egg and pork meatloaf recipe.

For more recipes, visit our EAT page or Recipe Index.

Authors: Susan Tran, Ly Le and Chau Hoang