Jiangsu Wuxi Spareribs (Wu Xi Pao Gu)

Ingredients

• 1 kg pork spareribs, cut into small individual ribs, not full rack size
• 80 ml Shaoxing wine
• 80 ml soy sauce
• 80 g rock sugar, broken into small pieces; quantity is intentionally high
• 3 spring onions, tied in a knot
• 4 slices fresh ginger
• 2 star anise
• 500 ml water, or enough to just cover ribs
• 10 g dried hawthorn berry (shan zha), optional; helps tenderise and adds slight tartness

Method

1. 1
   Place the ribs in a large pot, cover with cold water, and bring to the boil. Blanch for 3–4 minutes, then drain and rinse under cold running water. The water runs clear and the ribs are free of grey scum.
2. 2
   Return the ribs to the pot. Add the Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, rock sugar, spring onions, ginger, star anise, and hawthorn berry if using. Pour over enough water to just cover the ribs. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a steady simmer. The liquid is deep amber and fragrant with wine and anise.
3. 3
   Cover and braise at a gentle simmer for a minimum of 1.5 hours, turning the ribs occasionally. This is where the dish lives or dies: the ribs must become very tender — the meat yields at the touch of a chopstick and begins to pull from the bone without resistance. Do not shorten this stage.
4. 4
   Uncover and raise the heat to medium-high. Reduce the braising liquid, turning the ribs frequently, until the sauce is thick, sticky, and coats every rib in a dark, lacquered glaze. A spoon dragged through the sauce leaves a clean trail that closes slowly.
5. 5
   Transfer the ribs to a serving dish. Pour the remaining thick sauce over. The surface of each rib is glossy and deeply coloured; the sauce pools beneath in a coating consistency, not a pool of thin liquid.