This is a print preview of "Asian-Style Braised Sticky Short Ribs with Kumquat-Scallion-Chile Rice" recipe.

Asian-Style Braised Sticky Short Ribs with Kumquat-Scallion-Chile Rice Recipe
by Danielle Pallaske

Asian-Style Braised Sticky Short Ribs with Kumquat-Scallion-Chile Rice

Slow braised in a soy-orange-brown sugar sauce loaded with aromatics like star anise, ginger, garlic, cinnamon and lemongrass.
Serve with plain rice or with my creation of rice with kumquats, scallions and a little bit of fresh red chile. Divine!

Rating: 5/5
Avg. 5/5 1 vote
Prep time: Asian
Cook time: Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • 5 pounds beef short ribs, cut into 4-ounce portions
  • 1 cup low sodium Tamari or soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
  • 3 (5-inch) stalk lemongrass, halved and smashed
  • 4 whole star anise
  • 1 3-inch cinnamon stick
  • 2 tablespoon peeled and minced ginger
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 quart water
  • 1/2 cup sliced green onion bottoms, white part only
  • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
  • 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • Jasmine Rice, for serving (see below for an alternative)
  • 2 teaspoons finely grated orange rind, for serving
  • Sliced green onion tops, sliced kumquats and/or Chinese chive blossoms, optional for garnish

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. In a wide stockpot or Dutch oven, combine the short ribs, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, lemongrass, ginger, brown sugar, water, green onion bottoms, crushed red pepper, and 2 tablespoons of the orange juice. Make sure that the stockpot is deep enough so that the short ribs are submerged in the liquid.
  3. Bake the short ribs, covered, for about 3 hours, or until the meat is tender and falling off the bones. Remove the short ribs from the braising liquid and cover to keep warm. Increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees F.
  4. Drain the fat off of the cooking liquid and discard. Place the remaining braising juices in a medium saucepan with 1/4 cup of the hoisin sauce and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the liquid until only about 1 1/4 cups remain. Strain through a fine-meshed strainer, discarding the solids. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of orange juice and the lemon juice.
  5. Return the short ribs and the reduced sauce to the stockpot or Dutch oven, coating the short ribs well with the sauce. Bake for 10 minutes, until the short ribs are heated through and slightly glazed. Serve hot over jasmine rice. Season each portion with the orange zest and garnish with the green onions if desired.
  6. After 10 years of making this recipe with plain white rice I decided to ratchet it up this time and I met with amazing results. I wanted to emphasize the orange citrus flavor from the sauce and add a little heat for contrast. I have never even eaten a kumquat until about a week ago and was truly shocked by the complex flavor of them. If you are unfamiliar, the whole fruit is eaten with the peel having a sweet orange flavor and the flesh being sour-salty. Very intense and quite wonderful! I threw a handful of them into a food processor and chopped them up very fine then added a couple of handfuls of finely sliced scallions and a diced hot chile pepper. This was added to the rice a few minutes before it was done. Dynamite with the short ribs!