Vietnamese Caramelized Pork Ribs (Sườn Ram)
What is Sườn Ram?
Sườn ram is Vietnamese caramelized pork ribs. Bite-size spare ribs cook in a sticky sauce of caramelized sugar, fish sauce, garlic and lemongrass until glossy and deeply savory-sweet. It's a classic dish to eat with rice.
Vietnamese Caramelized Pork Ribs (Sườn Ram)
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb pork spare ribs cut into pieces
- 5-6 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon lemongrass minced
- 1.5 tablespoon fish sauce
- ½ tablespoon chicken powder
- ½ teaspoon sugar + 2 tablespoon sugar to caramelize
- ½ tablespoon dark soy sauce I used ABC sauce
Instructions
- In a small pot, add your spare ribs and fill the pot with enough cold water to cover the spare ribs. Bring that pot to a boil on high heat for about 5 minutes or until the water starts to boil. Drain and clean your spare ribs with clean water to remove any impurities. Pat dry and set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, add your spare ribs and marinate fish sauce, lemongrass, chicken powder, ½ teaspoon sugar, garlic, and dark soy sauce. Allow to marinate for at least 1 hour (or overnight is best).
- Before cooking, be sure to take the spare ribs out at least 1 hour from the fridge (if marinating overnight) to ensure it reaches room temp.
- In a pot, you want to add 2 tablespoon of oil and 2 tablespoon of sugar on medium-high heat. Allow the sugar to melt and start to caramelize and turn a dark brown color (but not burnt!). This part can be tricky to time so keep an eye out!
- Once the sugar has turned a dark brown caramel color, add your marinated spare ribs. Stir to combine quickly for 30 seconds.
- Add enough water to cover half the ribs. Lower the heat to simmer.
- Simmer for 30 minutes - make sure you stir every 5 mins for the ribs to cook evenly.
- After 30 minutes, the liquid should've reduced. Garnish with green onions and turn off the heat.
- Serve hot with a side of rice. Super easy and tasty dinner meal!
