China · Fujian
Fuzhou Drunken Ribs
Pork ribs battered, fried twice until crisp and tossed in a dressing sharpened with fish sauce. A Fuzhou speciality, sweet, sour and savoury at once.
Fish sauce in a sweet and sour dressing is unmistakably Fuzhou, and it is the reason this dish tastes different from other battered ribs. Sweet potato starch gives a lighter, more brittle crust than wheat flour, and the double fry is what makes it survive the sauce. Egg yolk rather than whole egg is what gives the coating its colour.
Ingredients
- pork ribs200 g
- white sugar10 g
- cooking oil500 ml
- fish sauce5 ml
- sesame seeds5 g
- tomato paste5 g
- black vinegar5 ml
- scallion1 pieces
- sweet potato starch30 g
- egg yolk1 pieces
Directions
- 1
Mix 5 g sweet potato starch and water into the ribs and wash them two or three times, then put them in a large bowl.
- 2
Add the fish sauce, sweet potato starch and egg yolk to the ribs and mix thoroughly.
- 3
Lower the ribs into the oil one at a time; never tip the whole bowl in, and keep them from sticking together.
- 4
Once they are all in, turn each one with a spoon every 30 seconds until the surfaces are golden.
- 5
Lift out the ribs, wait a minute, then return them to the oil and fry again until deeply golden; lift out into a large bowl.
- 6
In a small bowl mix minced garlic, black vinegar, white sugar, fish sauce, tomato paste, chopped scallion and sesame seeds, and pour over 5 ml hot oil.
- 7
Pour the dressing over the ribs and, once thoroughly mixed, turn out onto a plate.
Source: HowToCook · WorldBite adaptation · Unlicense source text; bilingual recipe adapted by WorldBite.