Sticky pork ribs with mango, watercress and sesame salad

Tamara West

An Asian-inspired sticky pork ribs with flavours of hoisin sauce, soy sauce and star anise.

Sticky pork ribs

2 kgs	Spare ribs, free-range pork (Main)
⅔ cup	Hoisin sauce
⅔ cup	Apple juice
¼ cup	Soy sauce
2 tsp	Sesame oil
3 Tbsp	Rice vinegar
½ tsp	Chinese five spice
4	Star anise
3 Tbsp	Chipotle sauce
2 cm	Fresh ginger, sliced
⅓ cup	Water

Mango and watercress salad

2 handfuls	Watercress
1	Mango, ripe, flesh only, thinly sliced
2 cups	Cabbages, finely shredded
¾ cup	Coriander, chopped
2 Tbsp	Sesame seeds, toasted
2	Limes, juice of, or use 1 lemon
1 to drizzle	Extra virgin olive oil

Directions

1. Heat oven to 165C. In a deep oven tray combine all sticky ribs ingredients and mix well to coat the ribs.
2. Cover with baking paper, then wrap tightly with tinfoil and place in the oven to cook for 1.5 hours.
3. Remove tinfoil and baking paper and increase oven to 180C. Cook ribs, uncovered, for a further 1 hour. Use a large spoon to skim excess fat off the top of the liquid.
4. Pour liquid into a pot and boil over a medium-high heat until reduced by two thirds. Strain the sauce and pour over the ribs. Mix to coat evenly.
5. Put back in the oven to cook for a further few minutes until the ribs are glazed and sticky.
6. Toss all salad ingredients together and dress with lime juice and extra-virgin olive oil. Serve ribs piled on a plate, with a large bowl of the salad on the side.