Ingredients
- 1.5 jin (750g) of pork ribs (spare ribs/small ribs) – preferably small ribs. The ones I bought weren’t (cheaper option), so there were too many bones and not enough meat.
- Scallions
- Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, dried chili peppers, bay leaves, cinnamon sticks
- Rock sugar
- Cooking wine
- Light soy sauce
- Dark soy sauce
- Oyster sauce
- Salt, oil
Preparation
Prepping the Ribs
Rinse the ribs to remove blood:
No need for lengthy explanations—directly blanch them in a pot over high heat until the bloody color is gone:
Set aside:
Clean the pot for later use:
Prepping the Vermicelli
Soak an appropriate amount of vermicelli until softened:
Prepping Other Ingredients
Cut the cabbage into sections. Discard the tough stems—feed them to chickens if you have any. If not, toss them in the trash or save them for pickling (though I won’t be doing that):
Cut 3 sections of scallions and 4 slices of ginger, then you’re ready to start cooking:
Cooking Process
Oil the pan to prevent sticking—yes, our pan is a few years old, and the coating is wearing out. If you’re interested, you can gift me a new pan. [Click here to send me one](/donate/){:target=“_blank”}:
Heat over high flame and add rock sugar for color:
Once melted:
Reduce to low heat to avoid overcooking, then add the ribs for coloring. Toss in the scallions, ginger, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, and dried chili peppers:
Stir-fry until well-colored, then add oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, and light soy sauce:
Add salt:
If it feels too dry while stir-frying, add a bit of water:
Once it looks good, add water—I use pre-boiled hot water, but tap water works too. Add enough to barely cover the meat, then pour in some cooking wine to remove the gaminess. If you don’t have cooking wine, liquor works in a pinch (like I did):
Mix the ribs evenly, then add bay leaves and cinnamon sticks:
Cover and let it braise:
First, bring to a boil over high heat (since I used hot water, it boils immediately), then reduce to low heat:
Braise for 40 minutes. Open the lid to check the saltiness—add salt if needed. Then add the cabbage. Raw cabbage leaves are bulky, but they soften when heated, so the pot will seem full. Press them down with a spatula to help them wilt—don’t worry about the liquid drying up, as cabbage releases water:
After about 10 minutes, add the soaked vermicelli:
Even soaked, cold vermicelli is still firm, so stir it with a spatula. It softens quickly when heated. Mix well and braise for another 20 minutes (still on low heat):
Then, as usual, tease the sticky rice cake:
Now it’s ready to eat:
It’s snowing today, so let’s have a glass of bayberry wine. Wishing my family good health, smooth work, successful home-buying, and all the best!
Sticky rice cake says, “I want some too!” (throwing a tantrum because it can’t have any):
From the author:
I often wish that when facing some key decisions in life, someone could tell me the best course of action so that I would not waste my precious time. Putting myself in others' shoes, I therefore write blogs often, hoping to record in this tiny corner of the vast Internet the once-in-a-lifetime experiences that matter to me, and to help those who seek help.
