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Gingered Spareribs with Brown Sugar and Soy

4.2

(35)

"My paternal grandmother liked to serve these spareribs on special occasions," writes Lyn Utsugi of Kamuela, Hawaii. "She was a great cook and even owned a restaurant on Oahu in the late 1950s. My mother learned the recipe from her and has been making the ribs since 1961, the year she married my father."

Serve these with steamed rice, perfect for soaking up the extra sauce.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 pounds well-trimmed pork spareribs, cut into individual ribs
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
3/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
3/4 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon cold water (optional)
Steamed white rice

Preparation

  1. Heat vegetable oil in large wide shallow pot over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add ribs and brown on all sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer ribs to large bowl. Add garlic and ginger to pot; sauté 30 seconds. Add brown sugar, vinegar, and soy sauce. Stir to blend. Return ribs to pot. Cover pot and simmer over medium-low heat until meat is tender, turning ribs occasionally, about 45 minutes. If sauce is thin, gradually add cornstarch mixture to ribs and simmer until sauce thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. Serve ribs over rice.

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