Roasted Spareribs

Whenever my maternal grandmother came to visit us, we always asked her to make her special deep fried pork spareribs. She would braise the ribs with a blend of spices and then deep fried them. They’re utterly delicious and we couldn’t get enough of them. I wished I had taken the time to learn to cook with her while she was still with us. Since apparently this is her original creation, after she passed no one else in the family knew the exact spices she used. So, I recreated the dish purely based on memory and changed the cooking method to roasting ribs. I can’t say that this is an exact replica of my grandmother’s famous deep fried spareribs but the flavor is pretty close.

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I remember grandma told my mother that she used some Kecap Inggris (transliteration: English Sauce), which is the Indonesian version of Worcestershire sauce. It is not a typical ingredient in Chinese cuisine but sometimes used in dishes with butter based sauce, such as  Ayam Goreng Saus Mentega (Fried Chicken with Butter Sauce) or Kodok Goreng Saus Mentega (Fried Frog Legs with Butter Sauce).

Roasted Spareribs a la Scent of Spice

Gather these ingredients:

3 lb pork spareribs
1 ½ Tbsp finely minced garlic
1 tsp fine salt or to taste
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp honey or to taste
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup hot water

Tools you’ll need:

Cutting board and knife
Mixing bowl
Roasting pan
Aluminum foil
Large spoon with long handle for basting

What to do:

• Ask the butter to cut the spareribs across the slab about 2 inches length.

• At home, wash the spareribs to remove small bone fragments that may be formed during the cutting process. Pat them dry with paper towel. Then, further cut the spareribs in between the bones.

• In a large mixing bowl, combine the minced garlic, salt, pepper, honey, Worchestershire sauce, sesame oil, and low-sodium soy sauce. Check for balance of flavor and adjust the seasoning accordingly.

• Add the rib pieces and rub well. Marinate for at least 30 minutes (at room temperature) or longer in the refrigerator up to overnight.

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line the roasting pan with aluminum foil for easy clean-up. Put the ribs including the marinade in the roasting pan. Cook for about 30 minutes, then turn the rib pieces and add hot water. Continue cooking and basting every 10 minutes for the next 30 minutes or until the ribs are tender (Sometimes it takes a bit longer to cook depending on the meat quality).

• Serve with steamed rice or garlic noodles with stir-fried vegetable side dish.

Variation:
You may prepare this dish in advance and keep them in covered container in the refrigerator. To serve, you can grill the ribs until slightly caramelized and heated through.

1. 

   Fenti says:

   April 24, 2010 at 9:57 pm

   Hi Tuty,
   I made this today. They are very good. I never add water before when I roast ribs. With water, the ribs are really moist. Thanks for the tip.

   reply
   • 

     Tuty says:

     April 24, 2010 at 10:45 pm

     Fenti,
     Thank you for your wonderful feedback. I am glad that the recipe was a success. I hope you’ll try more recipes

     reply