Chinese 1-2-3-4-5 Braised Spare Ribs (Yut Yee Sam Say Mm Mun Pai Gwut)

~I’m not sure which of my mother’s friends passed along this recipe to her. I remember it making an appearance one day at our dinner table, where it became an instant staple in our household. Sweet, salty, tangy- I could feel the glands at the back of my tongue salivating while the scent permeated throughout our house. The fun part was in reciting the recipe with my mother; in a sing-song kind of poem.  Because of how the first five ingredients were listed, it was only ever known as the 1-2-3-4-5 spare ribs in our family. When I teased her recently whether there was a “real name” and she struggled to make one up and claimed that all her friends only refer to the dish by the same silly name.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp Crown Royal (or any other type of hard liquor)

2 tbsp rice vinegar (not seasoned)

3 tbsp sugar

4 tbsp light soy sauce

5 tbsp chicken broth

1 ½ lb spare ribs

1 tbsp dark soy sauce

1 tbsp tapioca starch

3 tbsp water

1 slice ginger
1 tsp vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Cut spare ribs between bone, into individual pieces.
2. In a large bowl, add spare ribs. Sprinkle with starch and mix into ribs evenly. Add water and ginger. Massage into ribs. Set aside.
3. Set a 4qt stockpot on medium heat. Spread vegetable oil across surface to cover evenly. Sear one side of spare ribs for 2min. 
4. Turn to the other side and sear for 1min.  Add ginger, liquor, vinegar, sugar, light soy sauce, and chicken broth. Mix ribs in sauce thoroughly. Cover and reduce heat to simmer.
5. Let braise for 45min. If you prefer a more tender, fall-off-the-bone quality- add more broth and let braise for another 30min - 45min. 
6. Finish with dark soy sauce. Toss spare ribs again to mix thoroughly. 
7. Garnish with scallions if desired. Serve with steamed rice.