Ingredients (to serve 4-5):
- 2.5 cup uncooked rice
- 500g pork ribs (cut into approx 4-5 cm size) {I used Prime Ribs as per butcher's recommendation}
- 10 dried Chinese shiitake mushrooms (make a cross-section cut on the cap)
- 1 pkt ready-cooked chestnuts 栗子 (optional)
- 1 carrot (dice into cubes of approx 2cm)
- 2 cloves garlic (remove skin; smash slightly flat but still in-tact)
- 3-4 ginger slices
- 3-4 stalk spring onions (white part - approx. 4cm long; green part - for garnishing)
Marinates for pork ribs:
- 3 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tbsp salt
- 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp Chinese cooking wine (Hua Tiao Chiew)
- 1 tbsp corn flour
- 3-4 ginger slices
- pepper
Sauce: (to be slightly more tasty and salty than usual cooking)
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1.5 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 2-3 small rock sugar cubes 小冰糖块 (or 1 tbsp sugar)
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp Chinese cooking wine
- 3-4 tbsp hot water
Steps:
1) Cut and wash pork ribs, pat dry, marinate evenly as above. Leave in fridge to marinate for at least 2 hrs; remove from fridge 15 mins before cooking.
2) Rinse and and soak dried mushrooms in water till soft. Squeeze dry gently and cut a cross on the mushroom cap {for better taste absorption}, leave aside. Keep mushroom water for cooking rice later.
3) Prepare carrots, garlic, ginger and spring onions as per above.
4) When ready to cook pork ribs; stand-by to cook rice as per normal, with usual water level (including mushroom water). Add a few drops of cooking oil or shallot oil (if any) and 1/2 tsp of salt {for softer and more fragrant rice} and stir well.
5) Heat wok with oil, fry ginger, garlic and spring onions (white part) till fragrant. Stir-in pork ribs for a quick 2-3 mins browning using low heat {Purpose is to get a nice brown colour, DO NOT pan-fry for a long time, not supposed to get it even semi-cooked!} Add carrots, mushrooms (and chestnuts, if using) and sauce mixture. Stir well to get all ingredients evenly coated. {NOTE: at this stage, the pork ribs should be just semi-cooked.)
6) Transfer pork ribs and sauce (minimal) to rice-cooker, do not need to stir and mix. Start the "Cook" function as per normal. Only when cooking is completed, open and mix rice and pork ribs evenly; see if rice needed more seasoning. Close and let the rice "Keep Warm" for another 20 mins or so to get a softer and tender serving of pork ribs. Garnish with spring onions and serve.