Chinese Ribs Homestyle

One of the standouts in Chinese cooking is a rack of ribs or cha sui.There's nothing like a succulent gleaming plate of them for a delicious dinner. The only problem is that they 're a specialty usually found at a Chinese restaurant  - until now.  Home chefs can recreate this dish with simple ingredients for the same flavor.

Julia Moskin is the one tho thank for this. Her article and accompanying recipe appeared in the New York Times Food section yesterday. Chinese ribs are part of a way of cooking meat called  siu mei or fork burned meat in Cantonese, and is a specialty of the city, Guangzhou. It is where  the first wave of Chinese immigrants came from, bringing the recipe with them/Its' origins come people wanting this oven roasted cut in a time when Chinese kitchens did not have ovens. They were made in shops by experts,bringing the recipe here to the States where they were one of the first take outs. For Ms. Moskin, it is nostalgia and passion combined. The taste is a combination of salty and sweet, tender but not falling off the bone. The exterior has to be crusted with a sticky exterior. Think candied meat. Cantonese ribs can be replicated in an American kitchen but there may be some hiccups. One is the use of ketchup which may make purists blanch. The ribs' usual red color comes from a creamy funky bean paste called nan ru. This is tofu that has been brined and fermented with rice. A deep red strain of mold has been added and this brings unami, the savory taste that makes plain foods pop in taste.

Ketchup can be used for this. It has unami in its' saltiness, and in its' cooked concentrated tomato flavor. This American standard for fast foods doesn't seem proper to use on Chinese ribs however, as Ms, Moskin points out that's wrong.The condiment  started out in Asia as a fish sauce called ke-jap. It went through a variety of incarnations , with ingredients such as oysters and plums. Yet the tomato version is perfect for the ribs.it has a definite stickiness and caramelizes when cooked.It's mixed with garlic, scallions and hoisin sauce. Rice wine is added but home chefs can also use vodka or any clear spirit..The strong alcohol enables the other flavors to penetrate the meat. As for the meat itself, use baby back or St Louis style ribs. The ribs also need a steam bath to get that tender texture along with a succulence The baths are made by placing baking racks  - those used for cooling off baked goods - in foil lined pans. Hot water is poured into them while the ribs are placed on the racks. The baths are them removed and the ribs are returned to a 450 degree F oven or grill to  roast for twenty to thirty minutes. This will give them a crispy, chewy crust, Ms Moskin serves the ribs with smashed cucumbers. and rice.

Rib lovers will love this recipe. It's easy to recreate  these Cantonese ribs for a tasty summer treat. All it takes is a dash of ketchup and a steam bath to get these delicious ribs.