Tamarind Ribs

• 100g tamarind pulp
• 650ml boiling water
• 8 cloves garlic, minced
• 4cm piece of ginger, grated
• 2 tsp coriander seeds, crushed
• 2 star anise
• 2 chillies, finely chopped
• 100ml soy sauce
• 100g brown sugar
• 2 whole rack of pork ribs

Method

1. Place the tamarind pulp in a bowl, and add the boiling water. Let it soak for 15 minutes then mash it up using a fork. Sieve the tamarind water into a bowl and discard all the solids.
2. Into a roasting tray big enough to hold the ribs pour in the tamarind liquid, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, crushed coriander, star anise, chopped chillies and brown sugar. Stir until all the sugar dissolves.
3. 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. Then place the ribs in the roasting tray and coat with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for as long as possible - overnight is best.
4. Preheat the oven to 160ºC and cover the tray tightly with foil.
5. Cook the ribs until the meat starts to pull away easily from bones (about 2-3 hours).
6. Remove the tray from the oven and increase the heat to 180ºC.
7. Pour the juices from the tray into a saucepan, skim off any excess fat and boil the juices over a medium heat for about 15 minutes until it reduces and thickens. Pour half into a small bowl as a dipping sauce for later.
8. Brush the remaining sauce over the ribs and place back in the hot oven until the ribs are black and bubbling (about 5 minutes).
9. Brush with any remaining tamarind sauce and leave for a few minutes before cutting into single rib portions.
10. Serve with the dipping sauce.