Korean braised pork ribs

The flavour is based around gochujang, the Korean hot red pepper paste, which can give fire and sweetness and a deep red colour to anything you add it to.

Credit: Andrew Hayes-Watkins

• serves

  4

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  35 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp neutral-tasting oil, such as groundnut, grapeseed or sunflower
• 1 kg meaty pork ribs
• 1 large onion, very finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, grated
• 25 g piece ginger, grated
• 1–4 tbsp gochujang paste (according to taste)
• 50 ml light soy sauce
• 50 ml mirin
• 25 ml rice wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp light soft brown sugar or honey
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Garnish

• sesame seeds
• spring onions, shredded
• coriander leaves (optional)

Instructions

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in either a frying pan (skillet) or your pressure cooker. Season the ribs with salt and pepper and brown quickly on the meatiest sides. Remove from the pressure cooker if that’s where you have browned them, then add the remaining oil. Add the onion and sauté on a high heat until it starts to brown around the edges. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for a further couple of minutes.
2. Stir in the gochujang paste; 1 tablespoon will give you a fairly gentle heat, 3–4 tablespoons will give it proper fire. Pour in the soy sauce, mirin, rice wine vinegar and sugar or honey. Stir to combine, then return the ribs to the cooker. Season with salt. Close the lid and bring up to high pressure. Cook for 30 minutes for tender ribs that will still hold up to grilling, or 45 minutes for meat that will fall off the bone. Allow to drop pressure naturally.
3. Remove the ribs from the pressure cooker. Reduce the cooking liquor down until it is syrupy. Either serve the ribs as they are, with the reduced sauce poured over, garnished with sesame, spring onions (scallions) and coriander (cilantro), if using, or fry or grill them, basting them in the sauce, until blackened.

 

Recipe and image from Modern Pressure Cooking by Catherine Phipps, published by Quadrille, RRP $50

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.