Sweet & Sour Pork Ribs (Philips Avance Rice Cooker) 电饭锅酸甜排骨

This is my third version of cooking the sweet and sour pork ribs using a rice cooker. The main differences being the use of "Soup" and "Keep Warm" functions which helps to cook the ribs at a lower and stable temperature. These functions allow the ribs to simmer to soft. 

If you like soft and juicy pork ribs which slide off the bone easily, try this easy to manage recipe ^^

Yield: 8 pork ribs for 4 persons

Ingredients

650g prime pork ribs, room temperature

          排骨，室温

Marinade

2 slice ginger 姜片

2 cloves garlic, crushed with skin on 蒜，带皮

1 tbsp raw sugar 黄糖

1 tsp dark brown sugar 黑糖

2 tbsp oyster sauce 蚝油

1 tbsp rice wine 花雕酒

1/2 tsp low salt light soya sauce 低盐酱清

1/8 tsp dark soya sauce 酱油

2 tsp hoisin sauce 海鲜酱

100ml water 水

2 tbsp vinegar 醋

1 tbsp tomato paste 番茄酱

You can adjust the quantity according to your taste.

Sauce

1 tbsp rock sugar 冰糖

1 tbsp raw sugar 黄糖

Salt to taste 盐

1/2 tsp potato starch mixed with 1 tbsp water 太白粉加水勾芡

Direction

1. Parboil ribs by pouring boiling water into a bowl of prime ribs. Keep the ribs under water for about 5 to 8 minutes.

Drain away the water and cool down for about 10 minutes.

2. Pour the marinade over the ribs and mix using your hand. Transfer the ribs and the marinade to a porcelain or glass bowl. Cover and let the ingredients marinate for at least 1 hour.

If you are using a stainless steel bowl to hold, keep the vinegar and tomato paste till the end of the marinating session then add in. 

3. Pour the ingredients into the rice cooker and arrange the ribs in a single layer. 

Start the "rice cooking" function. 

For my Philips Avance Rice Cooker, I chose the 'Soup" function, and set the cooking time for 1 hour.

4. Give the ingredients a few stirs, at least twice, during the cooking process to ensure even cooking and coating.

I stir the ingredients after the first 20 minutes, then every 15 minutes.

After 1 hour of cooking.

5. When the cooking process is over, you will hear the rice cooker "beep". The rice cooker will automatically switch to "Keep Warm" function. Allow the "Keep Warm" function to run for 1/2 to 1 hour to simmer the ribs to soft.

6. When the time is up, transfer all the pork ribs out to a bowl. Cover the ribs to prevent them from drying up.

7. Add in the rock sugar, raw sugar and some salt , and start the "Ultraquick" cooking function to partially dry up the remaining sauce in the rice cooker to about 1/2. 

Cook with the lid open to allow the liquid to evaporate away.

Adding salt and sugar at this stage instead of during the marinating period, prevent the ribs from drying up and harden during the cooking.

8. When the sauce starts to boil and has been reduced, pour in the starch water to thicken the sauce. Stir regularly to prevent the starch from forming lumps.

9. After the sauce has been thickened, stop the cooking process and return the pork ribs to the rice cooker pot. 

Coat the ribs evenly with the sauce.

10. Allow the ribs to cool down slightly before serving with warm rice :)

For normal rice cooker

Perform the step 1 and 2 as above.

3) Start the rice cooking process. When the ingredients starts to boil, manually switch to "Keep Warm" function. Let the ingredients keep warm for about 1 hour to 1.5 hours.

4) Remove the pork ribs from the pot and add in raw sugar, rock sugar and salt. Start the "Rice Cooking" function again.

5) When the sauce starts to boil and reduce to about 1/2 its original quantity, stir in the starch water. After the sauce has thickened, turn off the rice cooking process and return the ribs to the pot. Allow the ribs to coat the sauce evenly.

6) Let the ribs cool down slightly before serving with warm rice :)

Sweet Potato Bun 甜薯面包 （牛油 + 年糕)

Bread dough with added cooked sweet potato tends to yield very soft bun.  I divided the dough into 10 portions and baked in two different flavours.

The butter sugar buns with the base soaked up with melted butter, smell and taste like butter cookies.

The peanut nian gao version has the centre of the buns taste like soft peanut candy. A healthier alternative in finishing up the nian gao

Yield: 10 small buns

Breadmaker: Whirlpool BM 1000

Raw dough weight: about 454g

Ingredients (room temperature)

90g sweet potato paste

200g bread flour

3/4 tsp instant dry yeast

30g fine sugar

1/4 tsp salt

30g trim coconut milk

70g fresh milk

15g beaten egg

20g unsalted butter

Some beaten egg as egg wash 

年糕strips

Ground peanut

13g cold butter

Some coarse sugar 

Direction 

1. Place sweet potato chunks with pandan leaf (optional) in a heat resistant bowl. Add 50ml water to the inner pot  and start to steam using the "Ultraquick" function (35 minutes). 

Or, steam over stove using medium high heat for 20 minuets, or till a stick can poke through the sweet potato easily.

2. Remove the pandan leaves and drain away the excess liquid. While the sweet potato is still hot, mash it using a fork. Collect 90g of sweet potato paste.

3. Pour trim coconut milk and fresh milk into a heat resistant bowl and keep warm in a rice cooker for about 10 minutes.

4. Pour the milk mixture into the bread pan.

5. Pour in the sugar and salt.

6. Add in the unsalted butter.

7. Loosen the sweet potato paste slightly and add into the bread pan.

8. Add in the beaten egg.

9. Pour in the bread flour.

10. Dig a hole with your finger and pour in the instant dry yeast.

11. Place the bread pan back to the bread machine.

12. Close the lid and select "Dough" function, and start the process.

After 1:30 h, the dough is ready.

13. Invert out the dough onto a floured worktop.

14. Flatten the dough with your palm.

Wear a pair of disposable gloves to handle the sticky dough.

15. Divide the dough into 10 portions, each weighs about 45g.

16. Shape the 10 doughs into balls, coat with some flour, covers with a lid and let them rest for 15 minutes.

17. Roll out a dough into a round flat dough and place on a slightly floured baking pan.

18. Spray some water and let the dough proof in a closed oven for about 30 minutes.

19. While the dough is proofing, cut about 13g of cold butter into 15 cubes. Keep the butter cubes in the fridge till needed.

20. After the proofing, remove the baking pan from the oven and starts to preheat the oven to 170 degree Celsius.

21. Poke a few holes over the surface of the dough.

22. Apply egg wash over the dough surface and place cold butter cubes over the holes.

23. Sprinkle some coarse sugar over the surface.

24. Bake in the preheated oven set at 170 degree Celsius at middle rack for about 18 minutes, or till the surface turns golden.

25. Allow the buns to cool down on a wire rack.

26. The bun is best enjoy warm :)

The base soaked with melted butter :P

Alternative 

花生年糕面包卷 peanut nian gao roll

17. Cut nian gao into strips of about 8cm long.

18. Roll out the dough into an oval shape.

19. Add about 1 tsp of ground roasted peanut and place the nian gao strip over.

20. Roll up the dough and pinch to seal at the end.

21. Place on a slightly floured baking pan and proof in a closed oven for 30 minutes.

22. After the proofing, snip some small cut over the top using a pair of kitchen scissors.

23. Brush with egg wash.

24. Bake in a preheated oven set at 170 degree Celsius, at middle rack, for about 18 minutes or till the surface turns golden.

25. Let the buns cool down on a wire rack.

26. The bun is best consume warm :)