food recipes

Easy, quick Japanese style spare ribs, kimuchi hot pot, Soda Crystals 

Spare ribs, kimuchi hot pot, salad, rice

By using a pressure cooker, this spare ribs takes only 20 mins to prepare. 
The combination of sweet-salty ribs and melting onion is wonderful match to white rice. 

Ingredients

5-8 pieces of spare ribs
3 small round onions
1 tablespoon of sesame oil
<Seasoning 1>

• 2 tablespoons of honey
• 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
• 1.5-2 cloves of garlic (grated)
• 2 teaspoons of grated ginger

<Seasoning 2>

• 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons of sake
• 1 tablespoon of sugar
• 100cc of water

Directions

1. if spare ribs pieces are large, cut into each bone piece with kitchen scissors or knife. Put spare ribs and the Seasoning 1 in a large reclosable bag and rub all ingredients well over the bag with hands. Close the bag and leave it for 5 mins

2. While seasoning spare ribs, peel the skin of each onion and cut it into two pieces. 

3. Heat up a frying pan over medium temperature, add sesame oil and fry spare ribs and onion until they got nice brown surface about for 2-3 mins

4. Put spare ribs and onion in a pressur cooker, add the Seasoning 2. Close the lid and start to cook over medium temperature

5. Once the cooker gets boiled, turn the heat into small and leave it for 7 mins then turn it off. Leave it until the lid is ready to open

6. Open the lid and gently boil the cooked spare ribs and onion for 3-4 mins more.

In case making this recipe without a pressure cooker, cook the contents gently for 40 mins to serve while add some water if necessary.

Ingredients of kimuchi hot pot

• 200g of kimuchi 
• 2 tablespoons of chinese chicken stock (if not, 1 cube of chicken stock)
• 3-4 tablespoons of korean miso (sweet and chilli miso)
• 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
• 1L of water
• cabbage or winter cabbage, spring onions, mushrooms, tofu, chinese chives, etc (any veggies found in the fridge)

Directions

Add all ingredients into a thick pan and simmer until the veggies get tender. Place the pan on the dinning table to serve. I usually place a thick magazine underneath of the placing mat and the hot pot.

Kimuch hot pot is great winter dish to warm up your body. The chilli soup enhances the blood circulation while we can take lots of veggies.

A tip for cleaning greasy pans

Cleaning a greasy, burnt pan is a pain. It cannot be loaded into the dish washer. In that case, I  use a product called "Soda Crystals" or sodium carbonate.

Just fill some water in the pan and add 2 tablespoons of Soda Crystals. Leave it for a night and wash. Then the pan appeared clean!!

1 Kg of Soda Crystals is offered in 90 pence at any supermarkets. 

Instead for other water softener products, I use Soda Crystals for washing machine, steam iron, humidifier 

everytime time.

This also works for removing limescale.

This is the most effective, efficient and economical 

housekeeping product I've ever met.

Time to prepare spare ribs, kimuchi hot pot, salad and rice: 1 hour

Total cost for main ingredients: 4.82 pounds (1.2 for spare ribs 2 for hot pot veggies, 1.62 for kimuchi)

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