Coffee Pork Ribs

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Coffee pork ribs is a Singaporean dish popularized by celebrity chef Sam Leong. It’s meaty, savory coffee you can chew. Pork ribs are marinated, deep-fried, then tossed in a sticky coffee sauce. Pork and coffee make an unusual couple but their marriage works surprisingly well.

I love food that’s slightly bitter, like  bitter gourd and bitter chocolate, and anything made with coffee such as coffee cheesecake and coffee candy.

Pork ribs deep-fried and coated with coffee?

Yes, please!

Making coffee pork ribs isn’t difficult. The only tricky part is deep-frying the ribs so that the batter is crisp but the meat is still juicy. But it’s nothing that can’t be nailed after practising a few times.

The sauce for the ribs is made with instant coffee powder, Worcestershire sauce, maltose and sugar. The recipe is from “All About Pork Ribs”. I like it because it has the right hint of coffee, and it doesn’t use any unusual ingredients.

Like a lot of people, I have quite a jaded palette. So I’m always on the lookout off the (culinary) beaten path, hoping to find something exciting. That’s why I love the taste of coffee in a savory meat dish. It’s unusual, in a very good way.

Coffee Pork Ribs

This recipe has a good balance between ribs and coffee. You can taste the coffee, but it doesn't overwhelm the ribs. There's a bit of baking soda in the marinade. It makes meat tender and juicy by breaking down tough proteins.
5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Course Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine Singapore
Servings 4
Calories 291 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 500 g pork prime ribs

Marinade

  • 1 egg
  • 1½ tbsp oyster sauce
  • 1 tsp white sesame oil
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp sugar
  • ¼ tsp baking soda
  • 3½ tbsp water

Deep-frying

  • 3 tbsp plain flour
  • 3 tbsp potato flour
  • corn oil for deep-frying

Coffee sauce

  • 2 tbsp maltose
  • 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 2 tsp instant coffee powder
  • 3 tbsp water

Instructions
 

Prep ribs

  • Wash ribs and drain. Dry with paper towels. Chop 3 cm long.
    500 g pork prime ribs

Marinate

  • Beat marinade ingredients till well combined.
    1 egg, 1½ tbsp oyster sauce, 1 tsp white sesame oil, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp sugar, ¼ tsp baking soda, 3½ tbsp water
  • Add marinade to ribs. Massage ribs till marinade is absorbed. Marinate for 2 hours, stirring thoroughly mid-way.

Deep-fry

  • Mix plain flour and potato flour. Transfer ribs (minus excess marinade) to flour mixture. Toss till ribs are well coated.
    3 tbsp plain flour, 3 tbsp potato flour
  • Deep-fry ribs in moderately hot oil over medium heat till just cooked and lightly brown, about 5 minutes. Drain.
    corn oil for deep-frying
  • Reheat oil till just smoking. Refry ribs till golden brown. Drain again.

Make coffee sauce

  • Heat sauce ingredients till thick. Taste and if necessary adjust seasoning. Add ribs. Toss till well coated. Plate and serve immediately.
    2 tbsp maltose, 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 2 tbsp sugar, 2 tsp instant coffee powder, 3 tbsp water

Notes

Maltose may be replaced with light corn syrup, glucose, or honey. If using the latter, skip the sugar for the sauce.