I love hoisin sauce and don’t use it often enough, so when I thought of making ribs the other day I remembered the two jars of hoisin in the pantry I’d recently stocked up on. This sauce was delicious but I think I’ll try adding some ginger and maybe a few chilli flakes next time. Also most of the recipes I came across online included 5 spice powder, which I have yet to come across here. I think with a base of hoisin, soy and rice wine vinegar – I added the white wine just to thin it out a bit – you can easily play around and adapt it with whatever else you like (or happen to have in the kitchen). Very sticky, super tasty.

Ingredients and instructions below…

• 800 grams spare ribs
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) hoisin sauce
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• splash of rice wine vinegar
• 2 splashes of dry white wine
• 6 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
• salt & pepper
• toasted sesame seeds (optional)

Season the ribs with salt and pepper, set aside. Whisk up the marinade in a bowl and toss the ribs in it. Leave them for about an hour or so at room temperature.

Heat oven to 180ºC. Line a tray with baking paper and place the ribs on the tray, with a bit of space between them. Save the marinade that’s left in the bowl.

Bake the ribs for approximately one hour, turning and basting with the marinade every 20 minutes. Top with toasted sesame seeds.