ever since i started the self challenge i’ve been limiting cooking vietnamese food. if you know me, you’ll know that i could sit and eat like three bowls of rice at dinner! loooove my rice! did you know that just plain white rice is about 200 calories per cup? sooo, eating like three bowls…not so good! at least once a week i like to let myself splurge, and since i’ve almost hit my month mark of being on the self diet, and back down to my happy size 2, i think its safe to say that i can allow myself the splurge! so last night i made those little mini riblets that i love so much! when i cook vietnamese food i cook without instructions, which drives my sister crazy! she didn’t get the cooking gene so i’m constantly having to show her how to make something, and then i get frustrated because she doesn’t follow directions! she’ll be the first to say that i’m too much of a perfectionist and that it all turns out the same…but it doesn’t! oy, i’m tensing up just thinking about her cooking! she likes recipes where you don’t have to stand around the stove and add things here and there. she’d much rather just dump all ingredients in at one time, mix it up, and just leave it to simmer…she should just stick to crock pot recipes i guess! so…this rib recipe is perfect for people like her!
what you’ll need:
1 lb mini pork ribs
1/4 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp asian 5 spice
1 tsp soy sauce
3 tbsp Yoshida sauce (this is like a sweeter glaze kind of soy sauce, i get mine at Costco, perfect for cooking with! if you dont have it you can just add extra soy sauce and honey…i tend to sweeten a lot of food with honey when i’m cooking!)
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp hot chili sauce (i use Spiracha)
1 tsp of hoisin sauce
salt and pepper
combine all ingredients in a bowl and allow to marinate for about 30 min or so.
heat a pan on medium and add some olive oil and if you want, extra minced garlic (my husband loves garlic so i try and put extra in whenever i get the chance to). add the ribs including the marinade mix and heat on medium for about 15 minutes, covered.
after 15 minutes i flip the ribs and i add about 1/2 cup coconut soda. (coconut soda can be found in the international foods section of the supermarket. it’s a really light flavor to me and i only really use it for cooking, not really for drinking on its own!) my mom uses coconut soda for a lot of her cooking, so i’ve inherited that! it helps sweeten and caramelize…i think? if you don’t have coconut soda you can just gauge it and add a little water so it doesnt dry out and burn. cook for another 10 min on medium.
remove the lid and crank the heat back up to high for about a minute and a half. this thickens the glaze and you’ll end up with a perfect caramelized sauce with your ribs.
enjoy with a bowl of rice!
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