While the weather may be cooling down a little, summer is most certainly still here and that means there’s still plenty of grilling to be done.
And this spare ribs recipe from Kikkoman is just the ticket, combining sweet and sour flavours while pairing the dish with a delicious mango salad.
Not only is the Asian marinade finger-licking good, the sweet and acidic salad on the side will perfectly balance all of the various flavour combinations these ribs bring to the table.
Juicy and succulent, it is best to pre-cook the ribs, as suggested in the recipe, as not only does it save some time on the barbecue or grill, but it also leaves them super succulent.
The marinade also tastes fantastic on beef steaks and pork chops and if you have time, to really make this marinade sing, leave the ribs to marinate in it overnight.
For more inspiration for dinner and evening meals be sure to check out our other Midweek Meal recipes here.
Barbecued oriental sweet and sour spare ribs
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 2kg spare ribs
- Salt
For the marinade:
- 1 small, organic lemon
- 1 small piece of ginger (approximately 1.5cm)
- 1 garlic clove
- 5-6 tbsp Kikkoman Naturally Brewed Soy Sauce
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 3-4 tbsp honey
- 3 tbsp white balsamic vinegar (or white wine/apple cider vinegar)
- Freshly ground pepper, to season
- 4 tsp sesame seeds
For the salad:
- 1 mango
- 1 Romaine lettuce (or 2 baby Romaine lettuces)
- 2 carrots
- 100g sprouted seeds
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2-3 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
- 100ml apple juice
- 2-3 tbsp Kikkoman Naturally Brewed Soy Sauce
- 1-2 tsp maple syrup
- Freshly ground pepper, to season
Method
- Cook the spare ribs in a pan of boiling salted water for approximately 50-70 minutes, depending on the thickness of the ribs. Drain and allow to cool a little.
- Prepare the marinade by washing the lemon under hot water, then patting it dry. Grate off some of the zest, cut the lemon in half and squeeze out the juice. Peel the ginger and garlic and chop both finely. Mix together the lemon zest and juice, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, olive oil, sesame oil, honey, vinegar, pepper and sesame seeds. Brush the spare ribs with the marinade and put in the fridge for around two or three hours until you’re ready to start the barbecue.
- Meanwhile, prepare the salad by peeling the mango and cutting the flesh off the stone. Slice the mango flesh into thin strips. Slice the lettuce, then wash and dry. Wash and peel the carrots, then shave off thin ribbons using a peeler. Wash the sprouted seeds, if necessary.
- To prepare the dressing: Use a blender to blend 4 tbsp of sliced mango, the olive oil, vinegar, apple juice, soy sauce and maple syrup together. Season with pepper. Add the dressing to the salad and toss.
- Place the spare ribs on the barbecue for about 10-20 minutes depending on the heat (closing the lid, if your barbecue has one). If needed, baste with the remaining marinade as the ribs cook.
- Serve alongside the salad.
Recipe courtesy of Kikkoman.