🍲 Braised pork ribs with winter melon - Hong Kong style home-cooked summer heat relief recipe

Editor's Preface

Braised pork ribs with winter melon is a summer favorite in Hong Kong. The winter melon cools down the heat while absorbing the essence of the gravy. The pork ribs are tender and flavorful, and the small pieces are easy to eat. This dish uses affordable, high-quality ingredients and is surprisingly easy to prepare. We've tested several recipes and broken down the key steps, ensuring even beginners can cook to restaurant-quality perfection!

Ingredients preparation

• 300g spare ribs (cut into pieces, the spare ribs are smoother)

• 250g winter melon (diced)

• 2 cloves of garlic (sliced)

• 3 slices of ginger

• 2-3 dried mushrooms (soak until softened and dice, optional / add scallops and red dates as accompaniment)

• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce

• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce

• 1/2 tablespoon dark soy sauce

• 1 teaspoon sugar/a small amount of rock sugar

• salt to taste

• 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine

• Chicken broth/boiling water 100–150ml

• A few drops of sesame oil

• 1 teaspoon cornstarch (for marinating pork ribs)

• Pepper to taste

• appropriate amount of oil

Detailed steps

🥩 1. Marinated spareribs

• Wash and dry the ribs. Mix with soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, Shaoxing wine, pepper, and cornstarch and marinate for 20–30 minutes.

• Editor’s tip: Marinate the ribs for ten minutes in advance to make them more flavorful and smoother.

🍉 2. Dice the winter melon

• Peel and deseed the winter melon, then cut into bite-sized pieces to absorb the sauce.

• Soak in water to prevent discoloration and drain before cooking.

🍳 3. Pan-fried winter melon and stir-fried pork ribs

• Heat oil in a wok and lightly fry the winter melon cubes until slightly golden brown (for a more fragrant taste). Set aside.

• Add oil to the original wok, sauté garlic and ginger slices, add marinated pork ribs and diced mushrooms, and stir-fry until the surface is slightly charred and golden brown.

🍲 4. Stew until tasty

• Pour in chicken broth or boiling water, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, and rock sugar, and stir well.

• Cover and bake over medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes, then add the winter melon cubes and cook for another 5-10 minutes, depending on the size of the cubes, until the winter melon is soft and flavorful.

• Feel free to add red dates, wolfberries, scallops, astragalus, etc. to enhance the flavor.

🥄 5. Reduce the sauce and season

• Taste it, if it’s not salty enough, add salt; if it’s not sweet enough, add rock sugar.

• If there is too much soup, you can open the lid to collect the juice. Finally, add sesame oil before serving to enhance the flavor.

• The dish is best cooked with rice when the sauce is slightly thick!

🥢 6. Garnish

• It comes hot and spicy, sprinkled with chopped green onions, and served with white rice and sauce, which is superb.

Editor's Tips

• The winter melon must be cooked last, otherwise the stewed melon will be too mushy and lose its taste.

• If you like tender meat, you can braise it for a while.

• Mushrooms, scallops and red dates can be added to create more flavors.

• Cook over high heat until the sauce is fragrant. Don’t add too much water, otherwise it won’t feel good enough to eat with rice.

• If you like the healthy version, you can stew the winter melon without stir-frying it.

Eating experience 😋

The winter melon is tender and sweet, the spare ribs are chewy and flavorful, and the sauce absorbs the aroma of the meat. It's perfect for winter or summer! The whole family rushed to eat and the dishes were cleared quickly.

summary

Braised Pork Ribs with Winter Melon Dices looks appetizing, and knowing how to cook it makes it a real eye-catcher every night. Hurry and make it tonight for a classic Hong Kong home-style feast! 🍲