Mom's: Sườn Heo (Spare Ribs)

Since I have moved out of my mom's, my mom has perfected recipes that I didn't grow up with. One of them is her sườn nướng heo (spare ribs). My mom said her husband and my sister's boyfriend love her ribs. So my mom made her spare ribs the same night that she made thịt heo kho; that's right, we really stuffed ourselves with pork that night.

I have to admit, although ribs in general are good, I find them to be too messy to eat. I was happy eating the thịt heo kho. However, you can't go wrong with this sauce. Isn't it always about the sauce? The meat was beautifully fork tender! So here is my mom's Asian influenced recipe for ribs.

Sườn Heo (Pork Ribs)

For the marinade
* 1 kg (about 2 lbs) of ribs
* 1 tbsp salt
* 4 tbsp sugar
* 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
* 2 tbsp garlic powder
* 1 tbsp dijon mustard
* ¾ tsp baking powder - the key to obtaining tender meat

Pre-mix all of the ingredients except for the meat.
Then, coat the meat with the mixture.
Slice meat in 3-4 ribs sections.
Let it marinate overnight ideally, or at least 2 hours.


Rack of ribs in their initial state.


Soaking up ingredients to make it yummy!

For the sauce and ribs
* 3 tbsp oil
* 1 onion, diced small
* 4 tomatoes, diced small (skin removed if you want)
* 1 tbsp ginger
* 2 garlic cloves
* ½ tsp dried chili peppers, or to taste

Heat oil on medium.
Add the ribs and brown on each side.
Take out the ribs and set aside.
In the same pot, cook the onion, ginger and garlic.
When slightly cooked, add the tomatoes.
Add the spare ribs back into the sauce and the remaining marinade.
The ribs should be covered with liquid. If not, top up with some water.
Let it simmer with the lid on for about an hour and a half.
Take out the pieces and broil for 5-10 minutes for a nice, golden finish (optional).
Serve with the remaining sauce in the pot.
Tada!


Browning the ribs.


Onions and ginger make a good base for the sauce.

Tomatoes are always a good addition: natural msg!

Cooking the tomatoes.

Adding the ribs and marinade back into the pot.

Broiling the meat for a nice finish.

The result: tender meat!