Braised Pork Ribs with Potatoes
For a delicious Braised Pork Ribs with Potatoes, the pork ribs should be tender, flavorful and well-seasoned, and the potatoes should be soft, waxy and palatable. Follow this tutorial and easily master the essence of making this home-cooked dish.
Why choose this dish?
Classic combination: The fresh and savory flavor of the pork ribs blends with the soft and waxy texture of the potatoes. It combines the aroma of meat with the sweetness of vegetables, offering a rich and multi-layered taste.
Simple to cook: After blanching, it only requires slow simmering. There is no need for complex steps, making it suitable for busy office workers or novice cooks.
Highly adaptable: You can adjust the spiciness according to your taste, add side dishes such as carrots and corn, or pair it with rice or noodles. It is highly versatile.
Common ingredients: Both pork ribs and potatoes are common ingredients. They can be quickly prepared at any time, making this dish suitable for daily family meals or unexpected guests.
What should you pay attention to when choosing pork ribs?
Check the meat quality: Choose pork ribs with bright red and shiny meat. Avoid those with dull color or strange odors, as they may not be fresh enough.
Examine the fat distribution: Select pork ribs with an even distribution of fat and lean meat. This kind of ribs will not be too greasy and will still have a rich meaty flavor. Ribs with too much fat may be overly greasy, while those that are too lean may have a dry texture.
Touch them: The ribs should be firm and elastic, and quickly bounce back to their original shape after being pressed. If they feel soft, they may have been stored for a long time and will have a poor texture.
Smell them: Fresh pork ribs should not have any unpleasant smell. If they have a fishy or foul odor, it is recommended not to buy them.
Inspect the bones: The bones of the pork ribs should not be overly cracked. Cracked or incomplete ribs may have been stored for too long and are not fresh.
Which kind of stew pot or cookware is most suitable for this dish?
Cast iron pot/Enamel pot
They have strong water retention ability, can make the spareribs become soft and tender quickly, and heat evenly during slow simmering over low heat. Potatoes are not likely to stick to the bottom of the pot. However, note that they retain a high residual heat after turning off the heat, so transfer the dish out in time to avoid overcooking.
Heavy-bottomed wok
Suitable for those who like high-heat stir-frying. You can stir-fry first and then stew all in one pot. But be gentle when stir-frying to avoid mashing the potatoes.
Electric pressure cooker
The king of saving time! Put the blanched spareribs and all seasonings into the pressure cooker and cook under pressure for 15 minutes, then add potatoes and cook under pressure for another 5 minutes. The whole process takes less than half an hour. However, the soup will not be as thick as that cooked over an open flame.
INGREDIENTS
Main Ingredients
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·350g pork ribs (cut into chunks about 2 cm in size)
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·100g potatoes (cut into chunks)
Additional Ingredients
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·30g ginger (sliced)
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·20g green onions (cut into sections about 2 cm long)
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·30g garlic cloves (sliced)
Seasonings
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·3g salt
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·10g Lao Gan Ma (chili sauce, a common Chinese seasoning)
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·5ml light soy sauce
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·3g salt
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·3ml dark soy sauce
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·50ml water
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·300ml clear water
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·20ml cooking oil
Table of Contents
COOKING STEP
Step 1
Cut the pork ribs into small chunks about 2 cm in size and set aside.
Step 2
Cut the potatoes into chunks and soak them in clear water to prevent discoloration.
Step 3
Slice the ginger, cut the green onions into sections, and slice the garlic. Get all the supplementary ingredients ready.
Step 4
Pour 300 ml of clear water into a pot. After the water boils, blanch the pork ribs for 3 - 5 minutes, then take them out and drain.
Step 5
Heat 20 ml of cooking oil in the pot. Add the ginger slices and garlic slices and stir-fry until fragrant.
Step 6
Add the pork ribs and stir-fry over high heat for 30 seconds until the ribs release oil.
Step 7
Add 3 g of salt, 10 g of Lao Gan Ma, and 5 ml of light soy sauce. Stir well.
Step 8
Pour in 100 ml of clear water until the water level is even with the ribs. Cover the pot and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes.
Step 9
Add the drained potatoes, 3 g of salt, 3 ml of dark soy sauce, and another 50 ml of water. Continue to simmer over low heat for 10 minutes.
Step 10
When the sauce thickens and gives off a delicious aroma, transfer the dish to a plate and sprinkle with green onion sections for decoration.
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Efficient Meal Preparation Strategies
Plan in advance: Plan the dishes you're going to cook and the required ingredients beforehand. This can save time spent looking for ingredients and thinking about what to do. Make a shopping list to avoid aimlessly wandering around the kitchen.
Ingredient categorization: Process ingredients according to their usage. For example, group tasks like cutting, washing, and marinating together and do them all at once. This helps prevent wasting time while cooking.
Use multi-functional tools: Tools such as kitchen machines and vegetable cutters can save time on cutting and grinding. There's also the food processor, which can quickly cut and blend ingredients.
Batch processing: For example, wash a large batch of vegetables or cut a pile of potatoes and store them in plastic bags or sealed containers. Just take them out when you're cooking. This not only saves time but also keeps the ingredients fresh.
Prepare seasonings in advance: If the dish requires sauce or seasonings, prepare them in advance. All you have to do during cooking is add them.
Efficient cleaning: While preparing the ingredients, clean the kitchen countertops and utensils. This avoids spending extra time cleaning up after cooking.
Common Mistakes Guide
Residual fishy smell in pork ribs:
Putting the pork ribs into the water before it boils during blanching won't allow the blood foam to be completely removed. The correct way: Put the ribs in cold water, bring it to a boil over high heat, and continue boiling for 3 minutes.
Potatoes turning into a paste:
Not soaking the potatoes after cutting or soaking for less than 30 minutes leaves too much residual starch. Remedy: Take out the potatoes, sprinkle a little salt, let them sit for 10 minutes, then rinse them clean and put them back in the pot.
Tough and dry meat:
Rinsing the pork ribs with cold water directly after blanching causes the protein to contract suddenly. The correct operation: Use warm water at 40 - 50 °C to rinse the foam off the surface of the ribs.
Tasteless dishes:
Adding all the salt at once leads to an imbalance in osmotic pressure. Add the salt in two parts: Add 60% of the salt when stir-frying the ribs and the remaining 40% when stewing the potatoes.
Burning and sticking to the bottom of the pot:
Using too high a heat and not stirring in time. Use the lowest heat for cast-iron or clay pots. For ordinary pots, gently push the bottom with a wooden spatula every 5 minutes.
The sauce drying up too early:
Not adjusting the amount of water according to the pot used. For enamel pots, add water to 70% of the height of the ingredients. For thin-walled pots, add enough water to completely cover the ingredients.
Overly pungent spiciness:
Stir-frying Lao Gan Ma for too long over high heat releases a strong and pungent smell. Improvement: Turn off the heat after stir-frying the ribs until they release oil. Wait for the oil temperature to drop a little before adding the chili sauce and stir-frying.
Storage and Reheating Tips
Put the completely cooled Braised Pork Ribs with Potatoes into a sealed container, making sure the sauce covers the ingredients. Store it in the refrigerator for no more than 3 days. Avoid using metal containers; glass or ceramic ones are the best.
When reheating in the microwave, cover the container with a lid and leave a small gap. Stir after 2 minutes, then heat for another 1 minute. Add a little water around the edge to prevent it from getting dry and tough.
FAQs:
However, if you don't mind a bit of starchiness, you can skip this step. Soaking doesn't affect the overall flavor, but if you prefer a fresher taste, it's still recommended to soak the potatoes for a while.
Whichever meat you choose, you can follow the steps. You may need to adjust the stewing time according to the type of meat.
If using an ordinary pot, it may still take some time for the ingredients to absorb the flavors and become soft. It is recommended to control the time at around 30 minutes.
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