Roasted ribs with red glutinous wine lees
Roasted ribs is a dish that is not difficult or tedious to make.
It gets your appetite going, simply from the insanely tempting smells.
This column's reader Doris Tay, 66, suggested I make roasted ribs using red glutinous wine lees, so I gave it a go. She usually uses her brother's homemade glutinous rice wine to marinate the meat. The acidity in the wine acts as a tenderiser.
As many cooks would agree, homemade wine is not readily available, so I used Shaoxing wine and added a little of my favourite Chinese rose wine for added fragrance.
As a rule, I do not buy commercially available red glutinous wine lees. I prefer homemade red wine lees which are thick, concentrated and with the right balance of nutty sweetness and acidity.
Madam Tay cuts up the rack of ribs as it requires a shorter cooking time. I chose to roast the rack of ribs whole before slicing it and dipping the pieces into the juices, and then finishwith a quick roast.
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INGREDIENTS
(Serves four)
- 200g ginger, coarsely chopped
- 1.3kg rack of pork spare ribs, rinsed
- 3 drops of Chinese rose wine
- 50ml Shaoxing wine
- 50ml light soy sauce
- 5 tbsp sesame oil (75ml)
- 180g red glutinous wine lees
METHOD
1. Pound the ginger using a mortar and pestle. Squeeze out the juice. You should get about 80ml. Set it aside.
2. Rinse the rack of ribs, then poke holes all over using a fine skewer.
3. Place it in a deep dish, meaty side of the ribs down.
4. In a bowl, mix the marinade of Chinese rose wine, Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, ginger juice and 3 tablespoons of sesame oil. Pour this over the ribs. Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate for at least four hours, preferably overnight.
5. Remove the ribs from the fridge for 30 minutes before roasting.
6. Pre-heat the oven to 200 deg C.
7. Line a roasting pan with foil (shiny side down). Place a wire rack on the pan, then place the ribs on the wire rack. Drizzle half of the remaining marinade over the ribs. Cover with foil and place on middle rack in oven. Cook for 30 minutes.
8. In a bowl, mix2 tablespoons of sesame oil and 180g of red glutinous rice lees.
9. After 30 minutes, remove the ribs from the oven. Set aside the foil. Pour the remaining marinade over the ribs. Coat the ribs with the wine lees mixture well. Cover with foil and return the rack of ribs to the oven. Lower the heat to 180 deg C and cook for another hour.
10. Remove the rack of ribs from the oven. Let it rest for 15 minutes.
11. Set the oven to 220 deg C. Slice up the rack into individual ribs and dip them in the juices in the roasting pan. Roast for five minutes. Plate and serve.
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