Hawthorn-braised pork ribs with garlic spinach & brown rice
Tender pork ribs braised sweet and sour with hawthorn, with garlicky spinach and brown rice — braise it the night before for your lunchbox.
- 1 hr 10 min
- Serves 2
- Braise
- Easy
Why it suits you: Blood Stasis means sluggish circulation, and the rising yang of Spring Equinox is a good moment to get blood moving. Hawthorn, black vinegar and brown sugar warm and disperse stasis, spinach nourishes blood, and the ribs satisfy without heaviness. Braise tonight, reheat tomorrow.
Method
Prep 15 min · Cook 55 min- 1Start the ribs in cold water, boil for 3 minutes, then drain and rinse. Rinse the hawthorn slices.
- 2Heat 1 tsp oil in a wok, fry the ginger until fragrant, then add the ribs and fry until lightly browned.
- 3Add the hawthorn, soy sauce, brown sugar and 400 ml water and bring to the boil. Cover and braise over low heat for 40 minutes, then add the vinegar and reduce over high heat until sticky.
- 4Cut the spinach into lengths, blanch for 1 minute and squeeze dry. Fry the garlic in 1 tsp oil until fragrant, add the spinach and toss.
- 5Pack the ribs, spinach and rice into lunchboxes, cool and refrigerate. The next day, microwave for 2–3 minutes until piping hot.
Cautions
- Avoid hawthorn in pregnancy — braise with just the vinegar and sugar instead.
- Go easy on hawthorn and vinegar if you have excess stomach acid or a stomach ulcer.
Chef's tips
- Dried hawthorn slices are sold at herbal shops and in supermarket dried-goods aisles — choose unsweetened ones. Skim the fat off the braise for a lighter lunch.
The TCM view
Hawthorn is sour, sweet and slightly warm; it moves qi, disperses stasis and helps digest meat and fat. Black vinegar is sour, bitter and warm and disperses stasis; brown sugar is sweet and warm and invigorates blood; pork ribs are sweet, salty and neutral; spinach is sweet and cool and nourishes blood; ginger and garlic balance its coolness. Warming and moving without drying.
