Coffee pork ribs

A zichar favourite that features the unlikely combination of coffee and pork

Coffee Pork Ribs
Serves 3-4

Pork and its marinade:
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon five spice
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoon kecap manis
2 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
2 egg whites
4 heaped tablespoons cornflour
600g pork ribs, membrane removed  

For the glaze:
4 cloves garlic, chopped
180g weak coffee
5 tablespoons kecap manis
4 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons cornflour
2 tablespoons water
Oil for deep-frying

Whisk together the ingredients for the pork marinade and coat the pork ribs well. Allow to marinate for 2 hours at room temperature.

Meanwhile, chop the garlic. Set aside. Stir together the coffee, kecap manis, sugar and salt. The coffee that you use for this recipe should not be overwhelmingly bitter or strong. Stir the cornflour and water together separately and set aside.

Fill a pan or wok with sufficient oil for deep-frying and heat over high heat. Carefully add the pork ribs to the oil – adjust the temperature to about 170C so that the pork ribs do not brown too quickly. When the ribs are nicely browned, remove from the heat. At this point, if you’d like a slightly crispy texture like what you get at zi char stalls, increase the oil temperature to 200C and deep-fry the pork ribs for a few more minutes until crispy. Otherwise, skip straight to the glazing step.

Pour the oil from the wok, leaving about 1 tablespoon oil behind. Fry the garlic until fragrant, then add the coffee mixture. Bring to a boil, before adding the cornflour mixture. Cook over high heat until the mixture reaches a syrupy consistency. Return the pork ribs to the wok and baste it with a spoon, turning it over occasionally. When nicely glazed, remove to a serving platter and scatter over sesame seeds. If you like, garnish with lettuce leaves.