Chinese Braised Spareribs (and Pechay Soup)

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I’ve been experimenting with Chinese cooking wine lately since I found a bottle in a supermarket a month ago. So far it’s a hit! This was lunch last Easter Sunday. Those green roses are actually the bottom part of pechay where the stalks meet. We didn’t eat ‘em. They just look pretty next to the spareribs.

Ingredients:
1/2 kilo of pork spareribs
2 tbsp of crushed garlic
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 cup Chinese cooking wine
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp of sugar
salt & pepperbunches of pechay for the soup

Add the spareribs to a pot of boiling water. Simmer for about 30 minutes. Transfer the spareribs and half of the broth to a skillet. Stir in the remaining ingredients except the wine. Bring to a boil. Add the wine, cover, turn the heat down to low and simmer for at least 1 hour, or until the ribs are tender, adding more water or stock as needed. Cook until there is little sauce then add about 4 tbsp of cooking oil (and onions). Saute for 2-3 minutes. Serve hot with more chopped onions.

Remember to add in the pechay to the pot of reserved broth. Season to taste and cook until al dente.

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Iska
I am not a professional cook. My only claim to having a culinary background is a short stint as my dad’s teen ‘sous chef’ in his carinderia ages ago. Dad ran small eateries since I was a young kid - serving standard ‘turo-turo’ food ranging from the likes of menudo, adobo, pritong isda, dinuguan, binagoongan, bopis, munggo, pinakbet and giniling to merienda fares like goto, ginataan, pancit bihon, halu-halo and saging con yelo.

My father, a farmer in his hometown before working his way to becoming an accountant, definitely influenced my cooking in a lot of ways than I thought. My siblings and I were raised in a backyard full of fruit trees and vegetable garden. We spent weekends and the summer breaks running around with ducks, chickens, goats and pigs. I had wonderful memories of gathering eggs, butchering chickens, selling vegetables and the sweet aroma of preserved fruits. But my love for art led me to a degree in Architecture. Just few months after getting my license, I went abroad and lived independently at age 23. Definitely no maid, no cook, and a totally different food culture. Along the way I met lots of friends and spent what seemed a lifetime learning new tricks and recipes.

Now living in Auckland, I am a work-from-home mum who juggles time between work, fun and family - in pursuit of work-life balance. No matter how busy I am, I love the idea of cooking for my family. My blog chronicles home cooking greatly influenced by life outside my home country from Southeast Asia to Beijing and Auckland. And most of the time, being busy also means easy (sometimes quick), affordable meals.

3 thoughts on “Chinese Braised Spareribs (and Pechay Soup)

  1. You’re very much welcome!

    To further increase the flavours, you may add in more spice such as Five Spice Powder and crushed chilis. These additional ingredients will definitely make it very, very, oriental.

    Works well with other meats like: Beef shank/shoulder

    Later

  2. You could add in your marinade the following: anise, a combination of light and dark soy sauce, green onions, shallots, ginger, cinnamon (sweetness), sesame oil, black peppercorns to bring out more flavour into the ribs. Bake them in a casserole ito reduce the cooking time.

    Skim the soy stock. Discard spices. Reduce and use as the sauce for the ribs.

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