Finished dish photo of Sweet and Sour Ribs - Caramelized Sugar Version

Sweet and Sour Ribs - Caramelized Sugar Version

My kid's favorite.. No soy sauce added. Colored with rock sugar! I think, in her eyes, sweet and sour ribs are universal.

Ingredients

RibsTwo pieces
Rock sugarOne piece
Light soy sauceAppropriate amount
Cooking wineAppropriate amount
Ginger slicesA few slices
Granulated sugarAppropriate amount
White sesame seedsA bit

Steps

1

Clean the ribs. Put them in cold water. Boil for 5 minutes, remove, and rinse with clean water.

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2

Add water to a pressure cooker, covering the ribs. Add ginger slices. Bring to pressure, then lower heat to medium for 5 minutes and turn off.

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3

Pour oil into a pan and add rock sugar.

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4

Melt the rock sugar over low heat until its color deepens (darker than the picture). Quickly add the pre-cooked ribs to the pan and stir well to color them evenly. The ribs can be pre-scooped out in advance. Be quick as the sugar caramelizes fast! If it burns, use soy sauce for coloring.

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5

Keep stir-frying over medium-low heat.

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6

After coloring the ribs, add cooking wine, light soy sauce, granulated sugar, and vinegar. Adjust based on your preference: for a sweeter taste, add more sugar; for a sourer taste, add more vinegar.

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7

Pour in the broth from cooking the ribs and turn to high heat.

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8

Once the liquid reduces by half, lower to medium heat to reduce further.

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9

When nearly dry, lower the heat further based on how much sauce you'd like to leave. My daughter loves using the sauce to mix with rice, so I usually keep a bit more.

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10

After turning off the heat, pour a bit of vinegar along the edge of the pan. Stir evenly, plate the ribs, and sprinkle sesame seeds.

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11

Dig in~

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Cooking Tips

Cook the ribs in a pressure cooker for 5 minutes for the perfect tenderness. If your teeth are strong and you prefer firmer ribs, you can skip this step! Um…just like that!