We all love Korean food here, but sometimes it can be hard to find, so we are sharing our best Korean ribs recipe for you to make at home. With this recipe, you might never buy takeout again!
Korean Spare Ribs With Sesame Seeds
If you have never experienced the joy of eating this style of rib, then you’re truly missing out on something special. With this style of cut, you get the perfect combination of meat and fat all without having to eat around any bones.
This recipe combines sweet and salty nicely, along with the nuttiness of the sesame seeds.
Once you try the melt-in-your-mouth stickiness and the occasional sections of crunchy goodness of these spare ribs, you’ll be hooked for life!
Equipment
- 1 Wok
Ingredients
- 2 lb pork spare ribs
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds toasted and crushed
- 2 stalks spring onion finely chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh ginger peeled and finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic peeled and finely chopped
- 2 tbsp superfine sugar
- 4 tbsp sake
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 10.6 fl oz hot water
- 2 tsp cornflour
- 2 tbsp room temperature water
Instructions
- Start with toasting the sesame seeds in a small frying pan over medium to low heat without any oil. Keep stirring to ensure all seeds are toasted evenly until golden. This should take around 3-5 minutes, transfer immediately onto a small plate, allow to cool completely before grinding into coarse powder.
- Finely chop the spring onion, garlic and ginger.
- Cut the pork spareribs into 1” x 2” (2.5 x 5 CM) bite sized pieces.
- Mix the sugar, Sake, soy sauce, sesame oil and half of the crushed sesame seeds together in a small bowl.
- Set up a heavy bottom deep pan or pot over high heat, add the olive oil and fry the pork spareribs in batches until dark golden brown (MIND THE HOT OIL SPLASHES), remove each batch from the pan and drain excess oil off after each removal.
- After all of the pork spareribs are browned and removed from the pan, add the finely chopped garlic, ginger and spring onion (reserve some for garnish later) into the same pan and fry for a minute.
- Add the sauce mixture into the pan, stir and scrape off all of the brown bits at the bottom of the pan as they add extra flavour into the sauce.
- Add in the hot water and stir.
- Return the browned spareribs into the pan, arrange them evenly so that they are well coated and covered with the delicious sauce.
- Bring to the boil, then lower the heat down to simmer.
- Cover with a lid and leave the pork spareribs to simmer over low heat for 45-50 minutes. Keep stirring and turning every 10 - 15 minutes to make sure that the pork is well coated, cooked evenly and absorbed all of the tasty sauce.
- At the last couple of minutes before serving, mix the cornflour with the water very well to make a paste.
- Pour the cornflour paste into the pan, stir vigorously as the cornflour thickens the sauce rather quickly, make sure there are no cornflour lumps visible anymore. Then turn off the stove.
- Arrange the pork spareribs onto a serving plate, sprinkle with the last half of the crushed sesame seeds and garnish with the spring onion on top.
Nutrition
Serving: 200g | Calories: 773kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 63g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g | Monounsaturated Fat: 26g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 181mg | Sodium: 438mg | Potassium: 612mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 60IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 3mg
What you will need to make Korean Spare ribs
- Olive oil: You can use any oil you like for cooking the spare ribs, we have found that the flavour of the dish isn’t effected if you like using olive oil.
- Sesame oil: Careful with this one, using more than the recipe calls for can over power the entire dish.
- Sesame seeds: Adding sesame seeds helps cut through the flavour of the fat and roasting them before hand imparts a roasted nuttiness to the dish.
- Sake: Is a fermented rice alcohol from Japan. It has a similar flavour to a dry or semi dry white wine.
- Pork spare ribs: This cut will usually have the most meat and no cartilage. Go free range if your budget allows.
- Garlic: Yes, three cloves just gives it a nice hum. If you like garlic then this is a good amount. Reduce if you’re not a fan.
- Spring onion: Top off the ribs with some fresh spring onion, it adds some colour and a little freshness to the dish.
- Ginger: Helps add depth of flavour and fragrance.
- Superfine sugar: Known in some countries as caster or castor sugar. This sugar is finer than granulated and makes it easier to mix through the sauce.
- Cornflour: Adding cornflour thickens the sauce so the ribs can remain well coated.
How to make the Best Korean Ribs Recipe
- Prepare the sesame seeds: Roast sesame seeds in a pan without oil.
- Sesame seeds should become slightly browned but not burnt.
- Brown the pork: Brown off the pork, remove from the pan once you’re happy with the colour.
- Brown the veg: Now you can get some colour the spring onion, ginger and garlic. Make sure you use the same pan you cooked the pork in, keep the fat too!
- Sauce: Get the sauce mixture in and deglaze the pan. This is a part of the secret to the best korean ribs recipe.
- Bring to a boil: Now that you have returned the spare ribs to the sauce/broth, bring it to a boil.
- Simmer: You’re almost there! once they are boiling, drop back to a simmer and continue to cook with the lid on for a further 45 to 50 minutes.
Need More Ideas?
You don’t need to stop at making our Best Korean Ribs Recipe! To make your meal complete try one of our side dishes or desserts.
- Enjoy this dish with a side order of rice, our Chinese egg fried rice matches perfectly.
- For the more carb conscious, Cauliflower Mash works wonderfully with this dish.
- You can then complete your meal with our delicious Lemon and almond slice recipe.
