Vietnamese Caramel-Braised Pork Spare Ribs

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Cut-up spare ribs braised in a homemade Vietnamese caramel — sugar cooked to a deep amber, then bloomed with fish sauce — until the sauce reduces to a sticky, savory-sweet glaze that clings to every rib. This is the single most useful technique in a Vietnamese kitchen: nước màu (caramel water) gives braises their mahogany color and bittersweet backbone. Restaurant versions run past $20 a plate; the whole thing costs a few dollars at home and rewards you with a pot of rice-flattening sauce.

Ingredients

• 3 lb pork spare ribs, cut crosswise into 1 1/2- to 2-inch riblets
• 1 tbsp kosher salt (for blanching)
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 2 shallots, finely minced
• 1 tbsp light brown sugar
• 1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper

• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp water
• 1/3 cup hot water
• 2 tbsp fish sauce

• 1 tbsp neutral oil
• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut water (or plain water)
• 2 scallions, white parts smashed, greens sliced for garnish
• 1 Thai chili, split (optional)
• 1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper, plus more to finish

• 4 cups hot steamed jasmine rice
• 1 cucumber, sliced
• cilantro sprigs

• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

Instructions

1. Ask the butcher to run a rack of spare ribs through the band saw crosswise into 1 1/2- to 2-inch pieces (this cut is often labeled riblets or 'cut for braising'). At home, separate the pieces and trim any loose flaps of fat.
2. Put the ribs in a large pot, cover with cold water by 2 inches, add the 1 tablespoon salt, and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil 4 to 5 minutes, skimming the gray foam. Drain, rinse each piece under cold running water to wash off the scum, and pat very dry. This 5-minute step is what makes the finished sauce glossy instead of cloudy.
3. Toss the dry ribs with 3 tablespoons fish sauce, the garlic, shallots, brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon black pepper. Let marinate at room temperature 20 minutes (or refrigerate up to overnight).
4. Make the caramel: in a dry, heavy 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven, stir together the granulated sugar and 2 tablespoons water. Set over medium heat and cook without stirring, swirling the pan occasionally, 5 to 8 minutes. The syrup will bubble, thicken, turn straw, then honey, then the color of an old penny with wisps of smoke just starting — pull it off the heat there, at about 340–350°F. One shade darker is bitter.
5. Off the heat, stand back and pour in the 1/3 cup hot water — it will erupt in steam. Swirl until smooth, then stir in 2 tablespoons fish sauce. Return to low heat for 30 seconds to dissolve any hardened sugar. You now have nước màu: dark, bittersweet, and thin.
6. Push the caramel to one side, add the oil, raise the heat to medium-high, and add the ribs in a single layer along with all their marinade. Sear and turn for 6 to 8 minutes, until the pieces are lacquered mahogany on all sides.
7. Add the coconut water, the smashed scallion whites, the chili if using, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. The liquid should come about two-thirds up the ribs. Bring to a boil, then reduce to the barest simmer, cover, and cook 55 to 65 minutes, stirring every 20 minutes, until a rib gives easily when pressed with tongs and the meat pulls back from the bone.
8. Uncover, raise the heat to medium, and reduce, turning the ribs often, 12 to 18 minutes, until the sauce is syrupy and coats the back of a spoon and the ribs look glazed rather than soupy. It should be sticky, not dry — stop while about 1/2 cup of thick sauce still pools in the pot.
9. Taste the sauce: it should be salty-sweet with a faint caramel bitterness. Adjust with a splash of fish sauce for salt or a teaspoon of sugar for roundness. Fish out the scallion whites.
10. Pile the ribs over hot jasmine rice, spoon the sauce generously over the rice, and scatter with scallion greens and cilantro. Serve with cucumber slices and, if you like, a small dish of salt and pepper with lime wedges for squeezing and dipping.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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