Make Chinese sweet and sour pork ribs in less than 1 hour. Caramelizing the sugar and the use of Chinese vinegar (chinkiang vinegar) make these ribs irresistibly tasty. They will serve as a steady Asian appetizer or main dish.

Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs

Who can resist the succulent pork ribs? Chinese sweet and sour pork ribs are always welcomed in our house any time of the year. Of course, we like Korean version of pork ribs but the Chinese pork ribs are so much easier to make.

Caramelizing the sugar in oil is a key step for this recipe. It does not only add a slight burnt caramel flavor to the pork ribs, also give the right color to the ribs as well.

We like to use baby pork short ribs rather than the long back ribs. They are easier to maneuver to stir-fry in the sauce. You will get the thick glaze on the ribs evenly.

Check out our Korean style beef short ribs recipe if you like braised meat that are fall-off the bone tender and savory.

Recipe Tips for Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs

Par-boil the pork ribs: It helps removing any particles from the bone and reducing the fat as well.
caramelized sugar: It adds burnt caramel coating to the ribs and makes it tastier.
3 important ingredients to make it classic Chinese sauce: Shaoxing wine, Chinkiang vinegar, and dark soy sauce.

How the dish comes together

1. Prep the pork ribs

We highly recommend to par-boil pork ribs in boiling water for 4-5 minutes first. This will get rid of unclean residue on the bones and remove some of the fat as well.

Drain and rinse the ribs a few times under hot water and set aside.

2. Caramelize the sugar

Heat oil over high heat and add the sugar.

Keep stirring until the sugar gets caramelized. It will turn red in no time.

Quickly add the pork ribs and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes so the sugar coats to the ribs.

3. Combine the sauce

You will need shaoxing wine (Chinese rice wine), chinkiang vinegar, and dark soy sauce. You will also need everyday regular soy sauce, sugar, chicken stock, and dried chilies if you like a heat.

Add the vinegar and soy sauces.

Then add the chicken stock, dried chilies, ginger and green onion.

Cover with a lid and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 25 minutes.

4. Thicken the sauce

When the simmering is done, remove the ginger and green onion. Turn up the heat to high and start thicken the sauce stirring constantly.

You might need to adjust the heat level to avoid burning as the sauce gets thickened.

Don’t they look gorgeous? Sprinkle some chopped green onion and toasted sesame seeds as a garnish, and they are ready to serve.

You will love the gentle sourness and sweetness of these ribs. We will tell you that our family devoured these Chinese sweet and sour pork ribs with two thumbs up. They will satisfy your Asian food craving and leaves you with a big smile on your face. Enjoy~!

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Yield: 4 people
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 45 minutes
Total: 55 minutes

Ingredients

2 lb pork short ribs
2 tbsp oil
3 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tbsp shaoxing wine (Chinese rice wine), rice wine
3 tbsp chinkiang vinegar, or brown rice vinegar
2 cup chicken stock
4-5 dried chili, optional
3 slices ginger
2 green onions, sliced into 4 sections

Method

Put pork ribs in a pot and pour water to cover. Bring it to boil and cook for 3-4 minutes over high heat. Drain and rinse under hot water. Put them in a colander and set aside.
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a wok or a large skillet. Sprinkle sugar and let it caramelize over med-high heat as you stir. When the sugar turns red, add the pork ribs quickly and stir to coat. Keep stirring for 3-4 minutes.
Add the soy sauce, vinegar, chicken stock, chilies, ginger and green onion. Cover with a lid and bring it to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20-25 minutes.
Uncover the wok and remove the ginger and the green onion. Raise the heat to high and thicken the sauce as you stir occasionally.
When the sauce starts to thicken and turns into a glaze, reduce the heat a little so that you don’t burn the sauce. Continue until it becomes a very thick glaze to coat the ribs. Remove from the heat and garnish with toasted sesame oil and chopped green onion, if you wish.
Serve warm with rice.