Stir-fried Chinese Bitter Melon and Ribs 涼瓜炒排骨

When I was a kid, I didn't like bitter melon a bit. I thought it is too bitter for my taste. As I grew older, I started to enjoy this slightly bitter after taste. And I learned that bitter melon is actually very healthy. Just like any dark green vegetables, it contains a lot of vitamins. Though, you still don't want it to be too bitter. One of the trick is boiling it for 10 minutes and add some sugar while stir-frying it. Hope you enjoy this recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

2 Bitter Melons

300 grams Spare Ribs, cut into small pieces

3 tablespoons Chinese Preserved Black Beans

1 Head Garlic

1/2 teaspoon Salt

2 tablespoons Chinese Cooking Rice Wine

1 tablespoon Sugar

1 teaspoon Cornstarch

2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil, (more for stir-frying)

DIRECTION: 

1. Rinse the preserved black beans; peel garlic. Chop them until they are fine.

2. In a mixing bowl, add chopped garlic, chopped black beans, spare ribs, and salt; mix well. Leave it to marinate for about 30 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, cut the bitter melons lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds. Cut the melon into about 1 cm slices.

4. Bring a pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add bitter melons. Boil them until they are cooked, about 10 minutes. Drain well. Run the bitter melon under running water to stop the cooking process; drain again.

5. Heat up about 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil over high heat. Add the ribs and stir fry until they are nearly cooked through, about 10-12 minutes.

6. Drizzle cooking wine; add sugar.

7. Add the cooked melon. Continuously stir-fry until the melons heat through.

8. Sprinkle over the cornstarch; stir until the sauce is thicken. Turn off the heat. Serve it with steamed rice.

Pork Ribs in Fresh Tomato Sauce 洋蔥蕃茄炒豬腓骨

INGREDIENTS:

3 Tomatoes, cut into wedges

1 Onion, peeled and sliced

10 pcs Pork Ribs, about 2-3 inches long

2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil

2 tablespoons Chinese Cooking Rice Wine

2 tablespoons Sugar

1 teaspoon Cornstarch

MARINADE:

3 tablespoons Soy Sauce

1/2 teaspoon White pepper Powder

2 tablespoons Chinese Cooking Rice Wine

1 teaspoon Sugar

1/3 teaspoon Salt

1 tablespoon Vegetable Oil

DIRECTION:

1. Rinse the ribs; pat dry.  Mix them with the marinade and leave them for 30 minutes.

2. In a large pan, heat up oil over high heat.  Add the ribs and stir fry until they are half cooked; about 10 minutes.

3. Drizzle over the cooking wine.  Then, add tomatoes and onion.  Continuously stir fry until the pork is cooked through and the tomatoes become soft; about 5 minutes.

4. In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch with a few spoons of the tomato sauce in the pot; stir well.  Slowly stir the cornstarch mixture into the pot.  When the sauce has thickened, turn off the heat and transfer the pork onto the serving plate.  Serve it with steamed rice.

One Pot Sticky Balsamic Rosemary Ribs | 意大利黑醋迷迭香腓骨

I made this ribs for Easter a month ago and everyone loved it.  After the dinner, my aunt even asked for the recipe because she said my uncle repeated many times how much he enjoyed the ribs.  She knows how much I'm into cooking so she looked a little worried when I was about to tell her the ingredients and the process.

"Balsamic, brown sugar, ginger, herbs, and of course the ribs," I said.

"That's it?" she could not believe it.

"Yes, that's it." I smiled.  It is a truly simple recipe.

You can serve it with baked potato or a light salad.  My husband and my son enjoy these ribs with steamed rice.

INGREDIENTS:

1.5 lbs Spare Ribs, cut into small pieces along the bones

10 gram Fresh Ginger, sliced

1/4 cups Balsamic Vinegar

1/2 teaspoon Rosemary, dried

1/3 cup Brown Sugar, packed

1 teaspoon Salt

材料：

1.5 磅 腓排骨，沿骨切成小塊

10 克  薑，切薄片

1/4 杯  意大利黑醋

1/2 茶匙  迷迭香

1/3 杯  棕糖

1 茶匙  鹽

DIRECTION:

1. In a pot, combine all the ingredients.  Bring it to a boil over high heat.

1. 在一只鍋中加入所有材料。用大火加熱燒滾。

2. Then reduce the heat to medium low.  Half cover the pot, continue cooking until the liquid reduces to half; stir the ribs occasionally to achieve a more even result.  Reduce the heat if the sauce is bubbling too much.

2. 將火調至中低火。把鍋蓋半掩，繼續煮至汁半蒸發掉；其間小心翻動腓骨使其更均勻入味。如汁蒸發太快可把火再稠低。

3. It should takes about 30-40 minutes for the ribs to soften and the sauce to thicken.  Once the sauce thickens enough to coat the ribs, remove them from the heat.

3. 烹調調程約 30-40分鐘使腓骨便變軟和汁變濃稠。待收汁後便可把腓骨離火。