Black Vinegar Spare Ribs

• 500-700g pork spare ribs, cut into 3-4cm bite-size pieces (ask butcher to chop this for you)
• 100g ginger
• 5-6 cloves garlic
• 4-5 spring onions

• 5 star anise
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 3 fresh bay leaves
• 100ml Shao Xing rice wine
• 3 tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1 L fresh chicken stock

• 6 tbsp Ching Kiang black vinegar
• 4 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 2 tbsp. rice wine
• 100g rock sugar or light brown sugar

PREPARATION

• Finely Slice your ginger, half for your poaching liquid and half for later on. Roughly chop a few cloves of garlic for the braising, and bash a few cloves for the poaching liquid. Roughly chop the spring onion.

COOKING

• In a pot, sear the ginger for a minute or so to flavour the oil. When it is starting to brown add your star anise, bay leaves and cinnamon stick. Stir well. Once the ginger is golden brown around the edges add the rice wine. Now add the light soy and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add your pork ribs. Bring to a boil and then down to a simmer for 45 minutes.

• In the meantime mix the sauce ingredients, leaving the rock sugar out for now. After 45 minutes to an hour get your ribs out of the stock, and fire up the wok. Add oil to the wok, and get your ginger in. Once it starts to brown, add your spring onion and garlic. This just needs 30 seconds to a minute of stir frying. Now pour your sauce around the ingredients. Bring to a boil and melt the rock sugar through. Add your ribs and coat them wit h the sauce. Bubble the sauce and stir it through the ribs for around 10-15 minutes. Enjoy