Indo-Chinese Ribs

• 2 racks of pork ribs, trimmed
• 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
• 2 tbsp Chinese five-spice

The glaze

• 3 star anise
• 3 red onions
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 3 cm piece of ginger, grated
• 1 tsp coriander seeds, crushed
• 3 tbsp water or apple juice
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp tomato ketchup
• 1 tbsp vinegar

To finish

• 2 spring onions
• 2 fresh chillies

Method

1. Heat the oven to 160°C.
2. Using a knife scrape the underside of the ribs on one end and you will see there is a transparent membrane present. Pull this membrane (use a cloth for grip) from the back of the ribs to remove it.
3. Place the ribs in an oven tray and rub them with five-spice, salt and pepper, drizzle with the oil and cover the tray with foil.
4. Place these into the oven for 3 hours, or until just tender and cooked through.

The Glaze 

1. For the glaze, peel and slice the onions and put them into a frying pan on a medium heat with a glug of oil and the star anise.
2. After a few minutes add the garlic. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onion softens and starts to caramelise.
3. Stir in the remaining glaze ingredients and leave to cook down for about 5 minutes, then turn off the heat and leave to cool a little.
4. Remove the star anise and blitz the mixture in a blender until smooth. Add a little water water if required. Check seasonaing and adjust if required.
5. Slice the spring onions and chillies and set to one side.
6. After 3 hours remove the foil from the tray and turn the oven up to 200°C.
7. Brush the glaze over the ribs and return them to the oven for 8 to 10 minutes, repeat this every few minutes, to get a lovely sticky glaze.

To Finish

1. Sprinkle with the chopped chillies and spring onions and serve the ribs with any leftover glaze for dipping.