First of all, although the methods are quite different. But the taste is still divided into north and south. The north is mainly salty, while the south is mainly salty and sweet. After all, this is a difference in regional tastes, so there are basic differences in this dish. This is not important. Both flavors have their own characteristics. Although today I am making a slightly sweet flavor that is more southern, I will also tell you how to make the salty flavor in the following content, so that you can harmonize everyone's taste. .

When it comes to braised in soy sauce, we must first highlight the word sauce, that is, the cooking of braised sauce is inseparable from the aroma of sauce. This is the base flavor and the basic taste. Then soy sauce is an important seasoning. But one thing is that many people nowadays have basically never used soy sauce. When they go to the market, they buy either light soy sauce or dark soy sauce, or the so-called soy sauce is also blended based on light soy sauce. So what is soy sauce?

To put it simply, the name "pui" is the name in Cantonese cuisine, that is, in the Guangdong region. And soy sauce is the name in most areas. It’s just that the popularity of light and dark soy sauce now makes people forget the existence of soy sauce. In fact, it can be distinguished so easily.

Light soy sauce: That is to say, when brewing, the top layer of soy sauce is not completely mature. At this time, the soy sauce is light in color and has a delicious flavor. It is suitable for use as a practical freshness enhancer and will not cover up at all. The true nature of the ingredients.

Soy sauce: When the brewing is in the mature stage, it is soy sauce. It is not only colored but also retains its freshness. Generally speaking, the soy sauce flavor is stronger.

Dark soy sauce: Actually, caramel color is added to soy sauce to make the color thicker, suitable for coloring such as braised in soy sauce.

Everyone probably understands this. If there is no soy sauce, you can just blend it with half light soy sauce and half dark soy sauce.

Another very important step in braising is to stir-fry the sugar color. Although dark soy sauce can also be colored, the resulting color is dark and dull, making it difficult to arouse the desire for delicious food at first glance. The sugar-colored ruddy color cannot be replaced by dark soy sauce. Coupled with the faint burnt aroma and the rosy and shiny color, these are the must-have points for braised pork ribs.

How to fry sugar color? This is also a problem that troubles many people. Here are a few simple steps to teach you how to solve it easily.

1. Stir-fry the sugar with water. Yes, add the same amount of water as rock sugar or white sugar to the pot, and then slowly let it melt over low heat. Because the temperature of water frying is low and the transformation process is slow, it is easier to control the heat, which makes success easier. The temperature of oil for frying rises too quickly, and if you are inexperienced, it will easily burn.

2. The melting of sugar is divided into white bubbles first, then slowly turns to burnt yellow, and finally dark burnt red. The bubbles become smaller and start to smoke. At this time, add boiling water immediately and stir-fry. . Many people will say that adding boiling water is wrong. But what you have to do at this time is to immediately lower the temperature to stop the sugar from continuing to caramelize, so adding boiling water is the correct approach and very safe.

3. The color of the fried sugar should be dark maroon, with a light burnt aroma and basically no sweetness. This is the qualified sugar color. If the color is light or still sweet, it means the heat is not enough. , if it becomes bitter, it means it has been fried. If you try this method of frying in water a few times, it will definitely succeed.

The sauce aroma and sugar color are the base flavor and main color of the braised pork ribs. These two are the key to determining the success of this dish. Here is a little tip for you, how to make the braised pork ribs richer in flavor and have a more charming aftertaste? That is to add a little sweet noodle sauce. As a kind of sauce, sweet noodle sauce is the lightest in taste. It has a strong sauce flavor but not a strong one. It also has a little sweetness. The key to the meaty flavor is that it also makes the soup thicker and has a better coating effect. This tip is worth trying!

Okay, having said that, let’s start making this braised pork ribs without a drop of oil. And I will continue to share with you the differences in salty and sweet recipes between the north and the south, as well as the differences between sweet and sour pork ribs. If you watch carefully, you will learn three methods at once!

1. Choosing ribs. For braised or sweet and sour ribs, clean ribs are the best choice. Although they are the most expensive, the meat is the most delicious and the most tender part.

2. Blanch the ribs in a pot under cold water. Just add some cooking wine. The purpose of the cold water is to slowly increase the temperature of the ribs along with the water temperature, so that the blood inside can completely penetrate.

3. Skim off the foam after boiling the pot. Because the bones of the ribs are cut off, there will be more blood foam in the bone marrow, and the more blood foam, the fresher the ribs will be. As for why it is necessary to skim off the foam, it is because if you do not skim it off, the blood foam will adhere to the surface of the ribs, which will not only affect the appearance but also the taste. The key is that it is difficult to wash off. Here's another tip. Don't wash the blanched ribs, even if you use hot water. Washing will make the meat lose a lot of flavor.

4. The next step is to prepare the ingredients. This depends on personal preference. I really want to say that it can be done without. If you like the original flavor of meat, you can leave out any seasonings and it will be the same. tasty. Of course, if you want to add the relatively traditional seasonings in moderation, green onions, ginger, star anise, cinnamon, bay leaves, these are all necessary seasonings for braised rice.

5. At this step, it is time to stir-fry the sugar color. This has been introduced in detail before. It can be easily done by having more confidence and trying a few times.

6. Add cooking wine, light soy sauce, a little dark soy sauce, salt and sugar, and the sweet noodle sauce mentioned earlier to the fried sugar color. There is no need to pursue any proportion for this. Home-cooked dishes are all kinds of flavors, and making your own taste is the key.

7. After all the preparations are done, let’s start making it. This step is the easiest one, because there is no need for oil, just pour it into the pot together. Why not fry the ribs in oil first? Because the essence of spareribs and braised pork are different, braised pork needs to be fried and set, while spareribs themselves have little fat and the meat is relatively firm, so there is no need to set the ribs. If fried first, it will be easier for the ribs to become dry.

8. Add appropriate amount of water, bring to a boil and simmer for 40 minutes. Don't cook it for too long, as it will make the ribs soft and lose their chewiness. Just 30-40 minutes is enough. If the ribs can fall off the bone, it means it has the best taste.

9. Finally, reduce the juice over high heat so that each rib is covered with thick soup.

Do you think it is not difficult after seeing this? Yes, cooking It's actually very simple, you can make your own delicious food with just a little bit of effort. The most important thing is that any adjustment or tossing can bring you a little surprise.

This is a relatively southern braised pork rib dish. So what is the approach in the north?

1. The biggest difference in the way it is done in the north is that the amount of sugar is less or even not used than in the south, and the amount of soy sauce is also larger, or soybean paste, soybean paste, etc. are used. Although I added some sweet noodle sauce here, the overall taste is still mainly sweet and fresh.

2. Secondly, braised pork ribs in the north like the meat to be softer. The soft and chewy texture is different from the chewy texture in the south.

3. Finally, let’s talk about sweet and sour pork ribs. In fact, this method removes the sweet noodle sauce, increases the amount of white sugar, and adds the same amount of vinegar as light soy sauce, which can basically be called sweet and sour pork ribs, right? It's very simple. Really, the only difference between sweet and sour pork ribs and braised pork is the seasoning.

To add to the difference, I always thought that the sweet and sour version should be sprinkled with sesame seeds, but the braised version does not need to be sprinkled, hehe!