Cantonese Orange Ribs

Judith Hannemann — Sat, 06 May 2017 23:00:27 +0000

These Cantonese-style ribs feature a hint or orange in the sauce, and they’re on the table in 30 minutes too!

Cantonese Orange Ribs: Fast Or Slow

You have a choice of what method you use to cook these Cantonese-style orange ribs.

The quickest way to have them on the table is with an Instant Pot or any electric pressure cooker.

You can also roast them in the oven. This is something I wouldn’t recommend in the summer!

And last but not least, you can use your slow cooker to accomplish the task. With slow cooking, you can set and forget.

Each method has distinct advantages so the choice is yours.

Glaze Is Everything

No matter which cooking method you choose to use, these ribs all must be glazed and broiled or grilled for the final touch.

This glaze has a subtle orange flavor. The flavor comes from orange marmalade.

I’m pretty fussy when it comes to marmalade. Hands down I prefer the British variety that’s made with Seville oranges. It has a slight bitterness which counteracts the sweetness. It’s the flavor I grew up with so it’s always the one I’ll pick.

American orange marmalade is totally sweet. No bitter undertaste. I think years ago it used to be called “sweet orange marmalade” to distinguish it from the British variety. You really cannot tell the difference at first…it’s the taste it leaves behind.

I would suggest for budget’s sake, to use the domestic variety and the store brand too. The imported ones are expensive and it really doesn’t matter here where it goes in a glaze. On buttered toast, I have an entirely different recommendation, but here it doesn’t matter.

Orange Wedges: More Than A Garnish

Believe it or not, the orange wedges are for more than just pretty presentation!

They are wonderful eaten with the ribs. The cool and juicy tanginess offsets the robust flavor of the pork. So make sure you have a wedge or two along with your ribs.

Many moons ago when I was in college, I was friendly with many students who had roots in Hong Kong. Naturally when I went out to dinner with them, we ate in restaurants that tourists never frequented. Usually mid meal you were served orange slices and one of my friends explained to me that serving oranges in the middle of the meal and especially after something that’s on the fatty side, that the oranges not only cleansed the palate, but the oils in the orange prevented indigestion. Interesting and it seemed to work too.

The Recipe

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