Chilli Pork Spare Ribs by Jane Devonshire

We are long time admirers of MasterChef Champion Jane Devonshire and we were lucky enough to meet her at a Foodie Festival in 2017. Jane has since become a wonderful supporter of ours and we were thrilled when she released her debut cookbook in 2018. The book is published by Absolute Press, in association with Coeliac UK and it contains a wide range of delicious, practical, easy to follow gluten-free recipes that cater for all the family. 

Recipe from Hassle Free, Gluten Free (Bloomsbury Absolute £22) which is out now

We eat these all year round, often as starters or nibbles, but sometimes with the Egg Fried Rice for a light supper. They pack a real flavour punch and are so easy to make – everything is prepared straight into one pan on the hob.

Serves: 4

Equipment

• Large wok or non-stick pan with a lid
• Measuring spoons
• Spatula

Ingredients

•  1 x 750g rack of baby back pork ribs, chopped into individual ribs
• 3 tablespoons sunflower oil
• 1–2 red chillies, finely chopped
• 1cm piece of fresh ginger, grated
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons golden syrup or runny honey (I prefer syrup as it gives the stickiness without the distinctive honey flavour) *
• 2 tablespoons dry sherry or rice wine
• 140g tomato purée
• 4 tablespoons gluten-free dark soy sauce (I use Clearspring tamari soya sauce)
• finely sliced red chilli and spring onion, to serve (optional)
• sea salt

* check for gluten content or cross contamination

Cooking Method

1. Place the ribs into a large wok or non-stick pan with a lid. Measure out the 3 tablespoons of oil (don’t wash the measuring spoon) and add to the pan with a good pinch of salt.
2. Add the chillies, ginger and garlic, and use the oily measuring spoon to measure out the golden syrup or honey (this stops it sticking to the spoon and makes life much easier).
3. Finally, add the sherry, tomato purée, dark soy sauce and 125ml water, and use a spatula to mix all the ingredients together until the ribs are well coated in sauce.
4. Put the lid on the pan, place it over a low heat and cook for around 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes to ensure the ribs are evenly coated; check more regularly towards the end of the cooking time to ensure they’re not burning. The ribs need to be a dark red caramel colour with a thick sauce; when tested with a knife the meat should be really tender so it comes away easily from the bone.
5. Leave the ribs to sit, covered, for 10–20 minutes, then serve directly from the wok or pan, or transfer to a serving platter, sprinkled with finely sliced chilli and spring onion.

Jane’s Tip: To test the heat of a chilli, I cut the green top off and put it to the tip of my tongue; I can usually ascertain the heat from this touch. Another method of controlling the heat of chillies is to leave the chilli whole, just slice down the middle, and place it in the dish while cooking; as soon as the dish is the right heat for me, I remove the whole chilli.

Photography © Mike Cooper, 2018.