Cantonese Style Pork Riblets

As you may have surmised, I have fun figuring out what food to make for Tapas every month.

And every month I strive to outdo myself. 

Nah, not really, but I like to experiment  try new recipes every month.  Some months, I only do one, some months I will try two, or do a twist on a recipe or...

I just have fun in the kitchen.

Well, this month, I was cleaning up and found a recipe I'd clipped out of the newspaper some years ago.  Never mind how many years ago, suffice to say, the paper is yellowed but not brittle, yet. 

Remember when we used to get the newspaper delivered every day, and then had to figure out how to dispose of that paper.  No?  Let me just say, if you wanted a new recipe to try, you either had to look it up in a cookbook or do like I did, with way too many recipes, cut it out of the paper or a magazine and save it to try later.  Much, much, later.

But I digress...

I found this recipe for Cantonese Style Ribs and thought that it sounded pretty darn good, so I started to make it, as per the recipe, and then, I changed it up.  

I can do that you know, cause I'm the cook in this kitchen. 


The original recipe said to brown the ribs a little and then pour the sauce over them.  But I didn't do that.
Drain the Pineapple, reserving the juice, set aside.  Mix in the ginger and brown sugar and pour over the ribs, and cook them for three hours or until tender.

Well, gee, you know darn well I didn't do that.   I mixed the pineapple juice, soy sauce and brown sugar together, and tasted it.

I then took the frozen ginger root I keep in the freezer and used my Microplane to add in about a tablespoon of fresh ginger to the sauce. I also chopped up a couple of garlic cloves, cause gee, garlic is good.    Tasted it again, and decided it needed something more.  So I added a tablespoon of Sesame Oil, and tasted it again. sigh, it still wasn't right.  So I got one of those AHA moments, and added 1 1/2 tablespoons of Oyster sauce and some ketchup, about 1/4 cup.

And this time it was close to the taste I thought it should have.  I added in another 1 1/2 tablespoons of Oyster Sauce and another 1/4 cup ketchup and was finally satisfied with the taste.

 I whisked it all together and poured it over the riblets that I'd placed in a oven safe casserole dish on top of some of the pineapple slices.

 Cooked that off in the oven for two hours and took them out.

 I took the sauce that they had been cooking in and reduced it on top of the stove in a pan that I'd placed a couple more slices of pineapple in.    I then poured the sauce over the riblets.   They weren't quite tender enough at this point, but I wanted to get a nice brown to them, so I laid them out on a rimmed baking pan and  poured the  reduced sauce over top of them and let them cook for another hour in the oven.

I served them with some of the sauce and a couple of slices of pineapple.   And they all got eaten.   Next time I make this I'll do it a little differently.




And I had an adventure while taking them out of the oven, I managed to slop some of the sauce out and onto the oven door.
Do you have any idea how much pineapple can muck up a door, not to mention all that sweet stuff. 

Now I have to clean the oven. But it was worth it.   They were pretty darn good. I know cause there were a few I forgot to put out.  I confess, I meant to put them out, but... I got busy with my guests and forgot  they were waiting in the wings .  So, till next time.

Yield: 4-6 servingsAuthor: Sid's Sea Palm Cooking (adapted from many recipes)

Cantonese Pork Riblets

prep time: 15 MINScook time: 3 hourtotal time: 3 hours and 15 mins

These little riblets are a fun appetizer.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 lbs short ribs, cut into serving size portions ( I used some Pork Riblets)
• 1 can Pineapple Rings (29 oz.)
• Juice from can of Pineapple + water to make 2 cups
• 1/2 Cup Sweet Soy Sauce
• 1 tsp. ground ginger or 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
• 2 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon Sesame Oil
• 1/2 cup Ketchup
• 3 tablespoons Oyster Sauce

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Drain the pineapple, reserving the juice. Set aside. Mix together the juice, ketchup, soy sauce, oyster sauce and the rest of the seasonings, heat together and reduce a little. Take the ribs out, cut them into pieces and either brown them in a pan, or place them in a shallow pan under the broiler until browned. Pour the sauce over the ribs and cook in a 325 degree oven until ribs are tender. Take the reserved pineapple slices, place over the ribs the last half hour and let them cook together. (you can also chunk up the pineapple and cook them together with the ribs the entire time.)

Created using The Recipes Generator

I'm going to tell you all about attempt number 4 for my sweet and spicy wings, however that is a post for another day.  Right now I have to and join my sister for breakfast and then I get to go to a real farmers market.
I'm so excited.