Salad ribs (Sha la gwat)

Sha la gwat literally means 'salad' ribs, or fried pork ribs with salad sauce, in English. Created by a Hong Kong chef in the 1970s, the secret of this dish is to mix mayonnaise with condensed milk, giving the ribs a touch of sweetness as well as a sour-savoury flavour. Sounds strange, but it really is delicious.

Sha la gwat (Salad ribs) Credit: Alana Dimou

• serves

  2

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 500 g pork ribs, cut into individual ribs
• cornflour, for coating
• 250 ml (1 cup) canola oil (or other cooking oil)
• 3 tbsp mayonnaise
• 2 tsp sweetened condensed milk
• sliced red chilli, to garnish

Marinade

• 1 tsp light soy sauce
• ½ tsp fine sea salt
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 1 tsp shaoxing rice wine
• ½ tsp ground white pepper
• 1 tsp cornflour 
• 1 tsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp curry powder

Soaking time: 15 minutes

Marinating time: 4 hours (or overnight)

Instructions

1. Soak the pork ribs in lightly salted water for 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, to make the marinade, mix together all the ingredients in a large glass or ceramic dish.
3. Drain the ribs and rinse well, then pat dry with paper towel. Add to the marinade and turn to coat well, then cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight. Take them out of the fridge 1 hour before cooking to bring to room temperature. Coat the ribs in cornflour, dusting off the excess.
4. Pour the oil into a large deep frying pan and heat over high heat to 160°C or until a cube of bread dropped in the oil browns in 30–35 seconds. Reduce the heat to medium, add the ribs one by one and cook for 2 minutes each side. Depending on the size of the ribs, the total cooking time could range from 15–20 minutes. The best way to check is to cut into the meat of the largest rib.
5. When the ribs are cooked through, increase the heat to high to give them a nice colour. Remove and drain on paper towel.
6. Mix together the mayonnaise and condensed milk.
7. Transfer the hot ribs to a large bowl, add the mayonnaise mixture and toss to coat evenly. Serve immediately, garnished with sliced chilli.

 

Hong Kong Local by ArChan Chan, published by Smith Street Books (RRP $39.99). Photography by Alana Dimou.

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.