At this time of year, when the weather begins to turn from summer into fall, I always look for great recipes that can work outdoors or indoors, and these spicy, sweet, Asian-inspired ribs and sides happily straddle the seasons. The ribs and broccoli stems (the sweetest part!) can either be grilled outdoors now or roasted in the oven come chilly evenings. The peanut noodles are satisfying served cold at a sunny afternoon barbeque, or comforting in fall, when I pile them into a big bowl while still piping hot. And the plums—pickled now while they’re ripe and sweet—can be jarred and eaten long after stone-fruit season.
Spare ribs are larger, meatier, and have a more satisfying chew than baby backs. To me, spare ribs beg for an Asian-inspired sauce, but maybe that’s just because there’s something about gnawing on a big, rich spare rib that reminds me of the way my shu-shu (uncle) slurps on chicken feet or the way my nai-nai (grandma) picks up the bone from a roasted fish and sucks off every morsel of meat. Spare ribs are the kind of food you want to devour and then lick your fingers clean, which is the only kind of food we serve at a Chen Family feast.
The rib sauce is extremely versatile. Use it to marinate flank steak or vegetables if you’re not a pork-eater.
Asian Spare Ribs
Serves 2-4
1 large rack of spare ribs (about 4 lbs)
For the marinade:
About ½ cup of sesame oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
4-5 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
For the sauce:
1 tablespoon of fresh ginger, grated (from about 2” of peeled fresh ginger)
2 cloves of garlic, grated
4 green onions, finely chopped
2 tablespoons of chili sauce
¼ cup of brown sugar
½ cup of rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon of molasses
3 tablespoons of soy sauce
4 tablespoons of honey
Marinate the ribs: In a large dish, liberally season the ribs with salt and pepper, add the garlic cloves and sesame oil. Rub it all into the meat and then cover with plastic wrap and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, up to one day.
About one hour before grilling the ribs, whisk together all of the ingredients in the sauce to allow the flavors to mingle.
Heat your grill to 300ºF. Slowly cook the ribs on medium-low heat for about 1 hour, covered, liberally basting the ribs with the sauce every 10-15 minutes, until the ribs are tender and fully cooked through. Depending on your grill, it make take up to two hours to cook the ribs until tender.
Grilled Broccoli Stalks
Serves 2-4
6 large broccoli stems
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon white sesame seeds
1 teaspoon black sesame seeds
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon chili flakes
Slice the broccoli stems into long pieces, about 6” long and ½” thick. For a stem about 1” in diameter, you should get three pieces. Toss the stems in the sesame oil and season with salt and chili flakes. Grill on a hot grill until tender and charred, about 8 minutes total. While grilling, toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan. Sprinkle the grilled stems with sesame seeds before serving.
Pickled Plums
Serves 2-4
6 large plums
2 cups apple cider vinegar
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 whole star anise
1 teaspoon salt
½ a vanilla bean
Cut the plums in half and remove the pits. Cut the halves into 4-6 slices. In a small saucepot, bring the remaining ingredients to a boil to dissolve the sugar. Allow the pickling liquid cool to room temperature and pour it over the plum slices in a large bowl and marinate overnight. Drain and serve. Left in the pickling liquid, the plums will keep for 2-3 weeks in your refrigerator. They can also be canned and stored at room temperature for months.
Whole Wheat Peanut Noodles
Makes 6-8 servings
½ cup of crunchy peanut butter
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
½ tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon sherry
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon champagne vinegar
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1 clove garlic, finely minced
3 green onions, finely chopped
2 large cucumbers, halved, seeded and sliced in into ½” pieces
1 pound whole wheat spaghetti, cooked and chilled
Whisk together the peanut butter, sesame oil, soy sauce, sherry, sugar, champagne vinegar, grated ginger and garlic until the sauce is smooth and creamy. You may need to add a tablespoon or two of water to loosen the dressing.
Dress the cold noodles with the sauce and toss with the chopped green onions and cucumbers.
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