Caramel pork ribs (Thit kho to)
Serves: 2
Prep time: 10 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Shu Han Lee
Caramel pork ribs (Thit kho to)
Recipe by Shu Han Lee
Serves: 2
Prep time: 10 minsTotal time: 
See more recipes
Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
395Kcal
Fat
18gr
Saturates
5gr
Carbs
35gr
Sugars
35gr
Fibre
0gr
Protein
23gr
Salt
0.4gr
Shu Han Lee
Born in Singapore, Shu Han Lee set up her food blog, mummyicancook.com, when she left home for the first time, and wanted to prove to her mum that she could feed herself! Her debut cookbook, Chicken And Rice (Fig Tree, £20), is out now.
See more of Shu Han Lee’s recipes
Shu Han Lee
Born in Singapore, Shu Han Lee set up her food blog, mummyicancook.com, when she left home for the first time, and wanted to prove to her mum that she could feed herself! Her debut cookbook, Chicken And Rice (Fig Tree, £20), is out now.
See more of Shu Han Lee’s recipes
Ingredients
- 500g pork spare ribs
- 1 tbsp groundnut oil
- 4 heaped tbsp light brown sugar
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 bird eye chillies, chopped
- sea salt
- 1 spring onion, sliced
Step by step
- Divide the ribs into individual bones if they're not already jointed, and use a heavy chef's knife or cleaver to chop them into 6cm pieces (or get the butcher to do it).
- Set a wok over a low heat and add the oil. Pour the sugar evenly over the bottom of the wok and let it melt, stirring occasionally.
-
Once the sugar has melted and turned golden, turn up the heat to medium and stir in the pork ribs. Drizzle in the fish sauce, add the garlic and chillies, and toss to make sure the pork is well coated.TipInstead of ribs you can also use an equal weight of cubed pork belly or pork shoulder.
- Add a dash of warm water and bring to the boil. Once boiling, add a pinch of sea salt, cover and let simmer on a low heat for 20 minutes, until the pork is cooked and tender.
- Uncover and cook on a medium heat to reduce the sauce, until it thickens and becomes sticky enough to coat the pork. Finish with a sprinkling of sliced spring onion.
Chef quote
Although people are generally becoming better aware of the subtleties across Asian cuisines, there are many who still expect some form of sweet, sticky stir-fry. While I hope to prove there is much more beyond that, 'sweet sticky stir-fries' can be pretty amazing when done well!
