Hoisin Spareribs

Last week I was interviewed by CBC radio Saint John and one of the questions asked was where I liked to do my food shopping. Most times in the grocery stores but I also enjoy buying from the wet markets in Hong Kong. It’s a social event where owners are vying for your business so one tends to strike up a conversation with the owners even if that conversation is a bit of sign language and a lot of pointing to the items (not much English is spoken but it’s fun nonetheless!). It also gives you a glimpse into what food shopping was like years ago for Hong Kong.

Paul Castle, the CBC radio host, asked me what a wet market is. A wet market refers to types of markets not necessarily selling live animals, but one that is selling fresh vegetables, fruit, meat and fish in the open and the flooring gets washed down with water regularly. For more information on wet markets, click here which is from the first posting I did back 25th of August. To listen the CBC interview, click here (18th April). One of the things I like to buy from the wet market is spareribs. Meat in Hong Kong is quite expensive but buying from the wet market is very reasonable.

My family likes spareribs baked with dry herbs or with BBQ sauce. As much as I enjoy my homemade BBQ sauce I also like the way Hoisin sauce tastes on spareribs. Hoisin sauce is soy based and regularly used in Chinese dishes, as well as stir fry recipes. The ingredients in a typical bottle of hoisin sauce are soybean paste, garlic, vinegar and various spices such as chili peppers. The flavor can be described as sweet, salty and spicy. Some versions contain honey or molasses or both which isn’t a strange ingredient when making homemade barbecue sauce. Lee Kum Kee is a brand I like to use which is readily available all over the world.

Serves 4
pork spareribs ( if big like the ones shown, use 2-3 per person)
240g Lee Kum Kee’s Hoisin Sauce

At lot of recipes for spareribs say to boil the meat first but I’m too lazy to do that. Instead I cook the ribs, sauce and all, in a covered roasting pan in the oven. Cook for approximately 2 hours at 150c (300f) and baste every 30 minutes.

The Culinary Chase’s Note: Make sure to turn the ribs over to get an even coating each time they are basted. The meat should be tender and moist (almost falling off the bone). Hoisin sauce is also good with chicken, duck, scallops, eggplant, lamb beef etc. A special note of thanks goes to my daughter. I asked her if she would clean up the background of the rib photo as I wasn’t happy with it. Good job!