Malaysian Style Sweet and Sour Ribs aka Pai Kuat Wong

I have never known another Asian dish that is more welcomed anywhere in the world than the good old sweet and sour ribs. Being of Malaysian descent, of course this dish will have to be somewhat different in its seasoning than its Chinese equivalent cousin. The addition of worchestershire sauce gives this dish its depth of flavor and distinct itself from the chinese sweet and sour which uses a combination of vinegar, sugar and sometimes ketchup. Not that there is anything wrong with the Chinese sweet and sour preparation but in contrast to the Malaysian style of sweet and sour, this dish sure gives them a good run for their money. At least that is how my family feels about it. Ever since I make them this dish, there is no going back to the chinese style sweet and sour. You can use the same seasoning and sauce for chicken too. Give this a try and you will have another one of those great dish you can put in your family's menu rotation.

Malaysian Sweet and Sour Ribs aka Pai Kuat Wong

Ingredients

2 lb pork ribs or chicken (either bone in or boneless, preferably with skin on)

2 clove garlic, minced

3 cup oil, for frying

3/4 cup cornstarch, for coating

Seasoning

1 tsp of chinese cooking wine or sherry

1 Tbsp of soy sauce

1/2 tsp of black pepper

1/2 tsp of salt

1 egg white, beaten

Sauce

2 Tbsp of ketchup

1 Tbsp of plum sauce or duck sauce

1 1/2 tsp of worchestershire sauce

3 Tbsp sugar

1 1/2 Tbsp water

1 Tbsp of soy sauce

Directions

1. Marinade meat with seasoning ingredients in the fridge for over an hour or more.

2. In a deep pan, heat oil over medium high heat till it reaches 325F or 162C.

3. In a separate dish, place all cornstarch in the dish. Coat ribs with cornstarch.

4. Fry ribs in batches for 3-5 minutes per side till cook and light golden brown.

5. Drain on wire rack. Once all ribs are cooked, heat oil again till smoking. Place a few ribs at a time into hot oil for second frying, less than 1 minute till flour coating is deep golden brown. Drain on wire rack. Repeat with all ribs.

6. Heat a clean deep pan or wok till smoky. Add a tablespoon of oil into pan. Stir in garlic and fry till slightly golden in color. This will only take a few seconds.

7. Pour in all the sauce mix. Stir with a spatula till sauce begins to bubble.

8. Add all the ribs into the pan and coat well with sauce.

9. Serve on a bed of lettuce or broccolli crown around the ribs. Good served as an entree with rice or on its own as appetizer.