Anytime is Coffee Time

Did you miss your morning coffee?  Let's have it with some ribs over dinner :)  Weird? Somehow coffee and ribs does sound a little strange doesn't it?   They say it's a popular dish here and across the causeway.  I have read about it a couple of times but strangely i have not tasted it, i must have been going to the wrong places! Recently, i was reminded of this dish again when i saw it at Veronica's Kitchen.

Apparently this is a dish where the ribs are deep fried then coated with a coffee sauce.    This cooking method where ribs are deep fried then coated with many different type of sauces are quite popular in Chinese restaurants.  Probably because the deep frying part can be done in advance making it something that can be done in a jiffy.  It only involves a simple stir frying and coating with the sauce for the final touch.

It may sound simple but i never fancy doing the deep frying part for health reasons and the hassle of cleaning up after.  Health can't be a better excuse for laziness!  Instead of deep frying, i marinated the ribs with the sauce then pan fried them for some crisp bits (some cheat here to mimic deep fried ones) then braised it for awhile to make it tender. 

Coffee flavor did come through, thankfully!  I used Nescafe Cap Columbie which has a fruity flavor.   There's slight bitterness coming from the coffee with a mix of sweet sourish taste and a little spiciness coming from the chilli sauce blended into the meat. Ahh, quite a mouthful trying to describe it, but it does taste quite special, something worth giving a go if you are a coffee lover :)

Recipe
Inspiration: Veronica's Kitchen

Ingredients

• 500g pork ribs

Marinade

• 1 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp dark soy sauce
• 1/2 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tbsp chilli sauce
• 2 tbsp tomato sauce
• 1 tbsp instant coffee powder with 1 tbsp hot water to dissolve coffee powder

Thickening

• 1 tbsp corn flour

Garnish

• Roasted sesame seeds
• Cucumber slices and strawberry halves 

Method

1. Mix pork ribs with marinade ingredients and set aside for an hour.
2. Heat a deep frying pan and add 1-2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. When the oil is hot, add the spareribs (without the marinade). Cook them over medium heat until all sides are brown.
3. Pour in remaining marinade and add water until just enough to cover the ribs.  Stir to mix well.
4. Simmer until ribs are fully cooked and tenderized.
5. Remove about 1 tablespoon of the sauce and allow it to cool.
6. Dissolve corn flour with the sauce that has been removed then pour it back into the pan to  thicken the sauce.
7. Garnish with some sesame seeds and serve hot.  Strawberries make a pretty garnish and went well with the sauce too.

Note:

1. I cooked everything in a pressure cooker that came with a stir fry function.  I stir fried it then allow it to simmer for 15 minutes before pressurizing it for 10 minutes.
2. The amount of coffee can be reduced according to preference and type of coffee used.