Black vinegar pork ribs with pineapple on rice
Ribs browned then braised in Zhenjiang black vinegar until sticky, with pineapple for a sweet-sour lift — all the glaze, none of the deep-frying.
- 50 min
- Serves 2
- Braise
- Medium
Why it suits you: Blood-stasis types often have a dull complexion, period pain or fixed stabbing aches. Vinegar disperses stasis and moves blood, pineapple aids digestion and the ribs give you stamina; sweet-sour flavours revive a flagging appetite in the muggy heat, and braising is much lighter than deep-fried sweet and sour pork.
Method
Prep 20 min · Cook 30 min- 1Rinse and pat dry the ribs and marinate with the light soy sauce for 15 minutes.
- 2Brown the ribs on both sides in hot oil, then add the ginger and garlic and fry until fragrant.
- 3Add the vinegar, sugar, dark soy sauce and water, bring to the boil, cover and braise over low heat for 20 minutes.
- 4Add the pineapple and green pepper and reduce over high heat until the sauce is thick and glossy. Serve with rice.
Cautions
- Vinegar and pineapple are acidic; go easy if you have excess stomach acid or an ulcer.
Chef's tips
- Keep tossing as the sauce reduces and turn off the heat as soon as it coats the ribs.
The TCM view
Black vinegar is sour, sweet and warm, dispersing stasis and aiding digestion. Pineapple is sweet, slightly sour and neutral, strengthening the spleen and generating fluids. Pork ribs are sweet, salty and neutral, nourishing yin and building strength; ginger is pungent and warm, helping the vinegar move blood. Sour and sweet together move blood without drying.
