My goodness I have one free Friday!  Literally Happy Friday!  I just wrapped up a deadline yesterday, not that I don’t have few more to sink my teeth into again, but I think I’d grab this time for a much-needed break and do some food blogging.  Baka amagin na mga litrato ng mga pagkaing niluluto ko hehe.

This BBQ pork spare ribs recipe has become a favorite.  Why not when I combined elements I like from reading Martha Stewart and watching Jamie Oliver?  Not that I’m a big fan of Martha but I am 100% for JO.  Oh you will definitely love this tender, finger-licking, fall-off-the-bone goodness.

Ingredients:
1 kilo pork spare ribs
2 tbsp paprika
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 tbsp Greek one spice (optional – if not using just add more paprika)

For the BBQ sauce:
6 tbsp tomato sauce
4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp honey
A pinch of salt
4-6 tbsp mango-orange juice (or whatever juice you have in the fridge)
2 cloves garlic, crushed

Preheat oven to 200 deg C.

Mix together paprika, salt, freshly ground pepper & Greek one spice in a baking tray.  Rub generously unto spare ribs then arrange them on the tray with the fatty side up.  Cover tightly with tin foil.  Bake for 1 ½ hour.

Combine all ingredients for the BBQ sauce. Taste and feel free to adjust according to your taste.

Remove the baking tray from the oven and take out the tin foil.

Coat over the top with BBQ sauce then, using tongs or chopsticks, flip around spare ribs to coat all sides with that scooped BBQ sauce you just put in.  Arrange spare ribs so that the concave part is facing you (or arrange as you wish).  Add another layer of BBQ sauce to coat the top of spare ribs.  (Reserve the rest of BBQ sauce for dipping later).  Roast under the grill 190 to 200 deg C for 5 minutes.

Serve with reserved homemade BBQ sauce.  Pass through a sieve to discard garlic (para sa mga galit sa bawang).

Om nom nom nom. Served with steamed rice and vegetables.

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.