Sweet and Sour Spare Ribs

It's been a while since I cooked. And the first thing that came to mind was to cook the recipe that Mummy gave me that day. She kept this recipe from eons ago so I guess to even ask her which magazine she took it from, she wouldn't even remember. Anyhow, what matters most is this recipe is delicious. It always remind me of Mummy.

It can also be a one-dish meal with a simple plate of boiled vegetable greens. Anyhow, here goes the recipe.
 

Ingredients:

 

300g spare ribs

1 1/2 tbsp sour plum sauce

3/4 tbsp preserved soya bean sauce (otherwise known as tau cheong)

3/4 tbsp sugar

1 tsp light soya sauce

1 tsp corn flour starch

5 shallots

3 pips garlic

2 slices ginger

1 fresh red chilli

8 tbsp cooking oil

 

Method:

1. Wash and chop spare ribs, drain dry.
2. Mince chilli.
3. Pound shallots, garlic and ginger finely.
4. Dissolve 1 tsp corn flour starch into 1/2 tbsp of water.
5. Heat wok and add oil.
6. When oil is hot, add shallots, garlic and ginger and stir until fragrant.
7. Add preserved soy bean sauce and spare ribs, stirring the whole mixture for about 1/2 minute.
8. Add 1 1/2 rice bowls of water, sour plum sauce, light soya sauce, chilli and sugar.
9. Simmer until the pork ribs are cooked and tender.
10. Add the cornflour starch solution you prepared earlier.
11. When gravy starts to thicken, remove from heat and dish out.

See my rendition of this dish. It's very much like a stew. The version my mum makes tend to be with less gravy but yet taste much nicer. I hope to perfect this recipe so I'll probably try to cook it again. All I know is, Mr G was happily slurping and savouring away as it was a rainy day.