Indonesian Pork Spare Ribs Final
Speed - 98%
Simplicity - 98%
Tastiness - 100%
99%
Delicious!
These pork ribs are perfectly tender and juicy. Sweet, tangy, spicy, aromatic - it's amazing how all those authentic Asian flavors came out of a slow cooker.
Ingredients
- 1.5 Kilos Pork Spare Ribs cut into cubes
- 1/2 Cup Soy Sauce
- 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
- 2 Bulbs Red Onion roughly chopped
- 1 Head garlic roughly chopped
- 2 Pieces Ginger thumb-sized, peeled, roughly chopped
- 2 Tablespoons Tamarind Paste
- 3 Tablespoons Sambal Oelek
- 1 Stalk Lemongrass
- 2 Tablespoons Peanut Oil
- Flour for dredging
- Salt to taste
- Black Pepper, ground to taste
Instructions
- Process soy sauce, onions, garlic, ginger, tamarind paste, lemongrass, sugar, and sambal oelek in a blender until smooth.
- Season spare ribs with salt and pepper.
- Lightly dredge the seasoned ribs in flour.
- Heat peanut oil in a skillet and brown ribs on both sides.
- Transfer ribs into slow cooker and add in sauce from the blender. Add about a cup of water.
- Cook on low for 2-4 hours.
We were all craving Asian food. We were craving pork. We were craving ribs. To be honest, we were craving for this particular dish. I've done it for countless dinners, and everyone at home shows delight as if they've had it for the first time, every single time. And why not, these ribs are so succulent and tender. The sticky sauce, with all its spices and flavors just makes you reach for more. Plain simple, for us this was comfort food!
I've travelled around Asia for some photography assignments in the past, and have come to love this dish even before I learned how to cook it. I've even tried to replicate it coming home from a trip to Indonesia. Though I ended up with something that tasted close, I knew I was missing something from the authentic.
I later went on to culinary school to pursue my love for cooking. Lucky enough, this dish was among the first Asian recipes taught to us. So then I found out what I was missing in my failed attempts – it was the sambal oelek and the tamarind paste.
For those that have been going through the same frustrations that I've had in the past, let me share along this authentic Indonesian recipe. And for those who haven't sampled this yet, you might want to read along as well, and perhaps come up with a new family favorite.
Let's start off with blending all the spices and aromatics into a paste. Traditionally ground in a mortar and pestle, we can conveniently do this in a blender or food processor. Just throw everything in – the garlic, ginger, red onions, lemongrass, sambal oelek, tamarind paste, chilis, soy sauce, and sugar. You may want to give them a rough chop though to make it easier for your blender. Let me also remind you to peel the tough outer layer off the lemongrass.
Next, and always, season your meat, at least with salt and pepper before searing. This would make for a very noticeable difference in flavor in the final dish. This recipe calls for special cuts of pork spare ribs. Bone-in and has much more meat than those baby-backs. You may want to talk to your butcher to place an order for this specific cut. Also, have them cut from the shop as this would be a very difficult task to do at home with all those rib bones.
Dredging the pork ribs in flour is a modification that I did from the original to adapt this recipe for a slow cooker. This step will give the ribs a good dark color which would be otherwise impossible.
After searing, we're basically done. Just tip all those into the slow cooker, add about a cup of water and patiently wait. These cuts are tender and would not need more than 2 hours on a high setting. You may cook it longer if you prefer them fall-off-the bone, but I like mine with a bit of bite.
Garnish with chopped scallions and toasted sesame seeds. These ribs are traditionally served with Nasi Goreng and overeasy fried eggs. I prefer mine with plain rice to allow those flavors to stand out, and boiled eggs, with runny yolks, just to add a bit of richness.
Here's a quick tip on how to cook those perfectly-runny boiled eggs :
– Start off with room temperature eggs.
– Bring enough water to boil in a saucepan.
– Add in eggs and wait until the water comes back to a boil.
– Set your timer for 6 minutes.
– Strain out your eggs, and transfer them to a cold water bath to stop the cooking process.
Time to get those fingers messy!
Ingredients
- 1.5 Kilos Pork Spare Ribs cut into cubes
- 1/2 Cup Soy Sauce
- 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
- 2 Bulbs Red Onion roughly chopped
- 1 Head garlic roughly chopped
- 2 Pieces Ginger thumb-sized, peeled, roughly chopped
- 2 Tablespoons Tamarind Paste
- 3 Tablespoons Sambal Oelek
- 1 Stalk Lemongrass
- 2 Tablespoons Peanut Oil
- Flour for dredging
- Salt to taste
- Black Pepper, ground to taste
Instructions
- Process soy sauce, onions, garlic, ginger, tamarind paste, lemongrass, sugar, and sambal oelek in a blender until smooth.
- Season spare ribs with salt and pepper.
- Lightly dredge the seasoned ribs in flour.
- Heat peanut oil in a skillet and brown ribs on both sides.
- Transfer ribs into slow cooker and add in sauce from the blender. Add about a cup of water.
- Cook on low for 2-4 hours.
If you need a slow cooker, you should check out some of our top picks from this year. Our favorites so far were the Crock Pot Touchscreen (very cool), and the Hamilton Beach Stay or Go (model comparison post). Those are two very trusted and common brands. If it's time for an upgrade, you should check out our reviews and see what style, size, and design would go best in your kitchen.
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