Korean Style Baby Back Ribs with Pancakes and Plum Dipping Sauce

These Korean Style Baby Back Ribs with Pancakes and Plum Dipping Sauce are the most delicious thing to come out of my kitchen in a while, combining spicy and salty and sweet in one delicious package!

Have I got a treat for you today: Korean Style Baby Back Ribs with Pancakes and Plum Dipping Sauce. Swoooooon!

Juicy, spicysweet ribs, drizzled with a plum dipping sauce, wrapped up in a soft pancake, livened up with the crunch of cucumber and scallions, this is setting the flavor bar deliciously high.

Now, I realize this is an untraditional conglomerate of cuisines; You don’t usually find Korean gochujang paste and Cantonese hoisin sauce in the same recipe and combining ribs and pancakes is also a slightly renegade move, but I’m telling you, everything works unbelievably well together!

Happy Weekend, everyone!

xoxo Donata

Ingredients

Serves 3-4

Marinade

2 tbsp gochujang paste

2 tbsp sesame oil

3 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp hoisin sauce

2 tbsp maple syrup

2 g fresh ginger, grated

8 cloves garlic, minced

3 lb (1,2 kg) baby back pork loin ribs

Pancakes

200 g all purpose flour

1 tsp kosher salt

1/8 tsp sesame oil

200 ml boiling water

peanut oil for frying

1 English cucumber

5 oz (150 g) scallions

back and white toasted sesame seeds as garnish

Dipping Sauce

2 tbsp plum butter

3 tbsp Shaoxing Wine or dry sherry (optional, otherwise substitute 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar)

3 tbsp hoisin sauce

1/2 tbsp gochujang paste

Preparation

• In a bowl, mix all the ingredients for the marinade together and set aside.

• Remove the membrane on the ribs. It’s a thin, white layer on the bone part of the ribs that can be a bit tough when cooked. Gently slide the tip of a knife under the layer of membrane and lift it up. Then use a paper towel to take hold of the membrane and pull it off.

• Place the ribs in a roasting pan. Pour the marinade over the ribs and use a basting brush to spread it all over. Let marinate covered in the fridge for at least four hours or overnight.

• When ready to cook, preheat oven to 300 F (150 C). Baste the marinade over the ribs again and turn them meaty side down.

• Bake in the oven for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours, basting halfway, or until an inserted meat thermometer reads 180-190 F (82-90 C). Then turn the rack over once so the meaty part faces up. Set the oven onto broil and broil for 5-7 minutes or until surface is bubbly and brown.

• Remove from oven, cover with tin foil and let rest for 10 minutes.

• While the ribs are in the oven, prepare the dipping sauce and the pancakes.

• Combine the ingredients for the dipping sauce in a small saucepan and bring to a near boil over medium-high heat. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

• For the pancakes, sift the flour into the bowl of a stand mixer or a bowl with a non slip bottom if you’re using a hand mixer. Add a teaspoon of kosher salt.

• Fit the dough hooks on the mixer and, with the mixer on, gradually pour the boiling water and sesame oil into the flour and mix until a cohesive dough forms.

• Let cool for 20 minutes. When cool, knead thoroughly with your hands on a lightly floured surface. Form into a long log and cut into 16 equal pieces.

• Roll these out as thinly as you can with a rolling pin into 16 little pancakes.

• Warm half a teaspoon of peanut oil in a large pan over medium to high heat.

• Fry the pancakes 3 or 4 at a time until cooked, about 1-2 minutes on each side.

• Stack and set aside to cool.

• Cut the cucumbers and scallions into about 2“ (5 cm) long thin matchsticks.

• Arrange the pancakes, cucumber and scallions on a plate or platter. Transfer the dipping sauce to a serving bowl.

• When the ribs are just cool enough to handle, grasp the bones of the ribs with a paper towel and pull them all out. They should come out easily. Cut the ribs into pieces along the natural partitions.

• Arrange on a plate or platter and serve with the pancakes, cucumbers, scallions, dipping sauce and sesame seeds as garnish.

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