Fricassée spare ribs

Strictly speaking, a fricassée is a French method of preparing chicken in a white sauce. But in English cooking, the term is applied to various kinds of stewing or braising. In this Cantonese method, called ju or chu, traditionally an earthenware pot is used; but I have found that a cast-iron casserole is equally good, since this dish is cooked on top of the oven. You can use an ordinary saucepan if you like, but it must have a tightly fitting lid. I have often used an electric wok to cook this dish, and the result has always been satisfactory.

1 1/2 lb (680 g) pork spareribs
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp rice wine or sherry
2 tsp cornflour
2 cloves garlic
2-3 spring onions
3 tbsp oil
2 tbsp crushed black or yellow bean paste
1/4 pt (140 ml) stock or water
1-2 green or red chillis (optional)

Method

Chop each individual rib into 2-3 bite-size pieces, or ask your butcher to do this for you. (With this recipe you can cook the ribs whole, but they will take longer and also look rather clumsy when serving.) Marinate the pieces with sugar, wine, soy sauce and cornflour.

Crush the garlic and cut the spring onions into 1in (25mm) lengths. Lightly brown the spareribs in hot oil for about ½ minute, then remove with a perforated spoon or strainer. Next fry the crushed garlic and the white parts of the spring onions in the same oil with crushed bean paste, and at the same time blend in the spareribs, stirring constantly to make sure all the pieces are well covered with the sauce. Now add a little stock or water and put the lid on tightly. What you have to do here is to listen carefully for the sizzling noise: does it sound too rapid, so that the heat has to be reduced? Or does it sound too weak, perhaps because you have put too much water in or more heat is needed? All this is very important if you want to make this dish perfectly. Anyway, you have to open the lid now and again (not too often, say every 4-5 minutes) and add more of the water or stock until all the liquid is almost completely absorbed. This should take about 15-20 minutes. Add the green parts of spring onions and green peppers just before serving.

This dish should have a wonderful aroma. The meat should not come off the bone too easily, but it should be very succulent.

© Deh-Ta Hsiung and reproduced with his kind permission.