Pineapple Braised Spareribs

Written By Vivian Vo

Sườn Ram Thơm (Pineapple Braised Pork Ribs)

Serves: 4–6

Ingredients

Pork Spareribs

  • 2 lbs spare ribs (cut into bite size)

  • A few slices ginger (for parboiling)

Marinade

  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce

  • 1 teaspoon black pepper

  • 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon powder

  • 1 tablespoon sugar

  • 1 tablespoon neutral oil

  • Cornstarch (to coat spareribs)

Pineapple Sauce

  • ½ pineapple, divided

    • ¼ pineapple, finely minced

    • ¼ pineapple, cut into bite-sized chunks

  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce

  • 2 tablespoons oyster sauce

  • 1 tablespoon sugar

  • 2 tablespoons sriracha

  • 2 tablespoons chicken bouillon powder

  • 1 tablespoon vinegar

  • 1 teaspoon black pepper

Aromatics

  • 3 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1 large shallot, minced

  • 3 Thai chilis, minced

For Braising

  • 1 cup coconut water

Garnish

  • Scallions, sliced

  • Black pepper


Prepare

Parboil the spare ribs with ginger for 5–10 minutes to remove impurities. Drain, rinse, and pat dry.

In a bowl, combine the fish sauce, black pepper, chicken bouillon powder, sugar, and oil. Add the ribs and toss well. Let marinate for 30 minutes.

While the ribs marinate, prepare the pineapple. Finely mince one-quarter of the pineapple and cut the remaining quarter into chunks.

In a separate bowl, combine the minced pineapple, fish sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, sriracha, chicken bouillon powder, vinegar, and black pepper. Mix well and set aside.

After 30 minutes, coat the spareribs with cornstarch.

Cook

Heat a generous drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the ribs and lightly fry until golden brown on all sides. Remove and place on a paper towel-lined plate.

Using the same pan, sauté the garlic, shallot, and Thai chilis until fragrant, about 2–3 minutes.

Pour in the pineapple sauce mixture and stir for 1 minute. Return the ribs to the pan and toss until evenly coated.

Add the pineapple chunks and cook for another 5 minutes.

Pour in the coconut water, bring to a gentle simmer, then cover and cook for 20–25 minutes, or until the ribs are tender and the sauce has reduced to your liking.

Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.

Serve

Transfer to a serving plate and garnish with scallions and freshly cracked black pepper.

Serve with a bowl of hot rice.

Vivian Vo