Hong shao pai gu

Easy dish

Put short ribs in water, get rid of blood with water and salt and cornstarch.
Go through with water 1-2 more times
Tap water until covers ribs, put in ribs, heat until boil, then get rid of the water
Start stir frying with oil, 2-3 ginger slices, then put in pai gu until no water, star anise, liao jiu and stir fry a bit, then put soy sauce, sugar, then after stir frying a bit longer water and cover. Add water just to steam, like when steaming some vegetables. Or the point is to cover the bottom of the pan with water, so very little.
When about dry, take it out. If you wanted to add vegetables, add chestnuts. But JiaJia doesn’t like adding anything.

JiaJia

Hong Shao’s point is to use very little water.

July 5, 2026 2026-07-05 21:00 EST

Here’s a possibly better recipe

Get the ribs cut in half from the middle (so the bones are half of the normal length, this can typically be requested at meat counter in grocery stores)
Place the ribs in an instant pot. Season with salt, chinese five spice, Shaoxing Wine (optional) and coconut aminos. Add chopped onion, ginger.
For best result let it marinate for at least half an hour. Then add 1/4 cup of water in it.
Seal and cook on high pressure for 12-15 minutes.*
Remove the ribs from the pot and let it cool. Set the broth left in the instant pot aside for later.

Caramelizing the Sugar

Heat the oil in a wok (a large pan or pot works too) until shimmering and then add the sugar.
Cook the sugar over medium to high heat, continue to stir to create caramelization for 4- 5 min or until the color is amber. Make sure to stir constantly to prevent burning.
Once the color has turned amber- add in the ribs immediately.

Red Braising the Ribs

Cut the semi-cooled ribs into individual pieces.
Add ribs in to the caralized sugar and oil and stir for a couple minutes to get the carmalized sugar evenly coated around the meat.
Once meat has been coated well in the caramelized sugar, allow the meat to sear on both sides for about 1 minute, to get a crispy glaze.
Add minced garlic (if using any). Stir and let it release the aroma for another 2-3 minutes.
Add the cubed potatoes and stir well.
Add 1.5 cups of broth which was set aside, coconut aminos, Lao Chou (dark soy sauce), Liao Jiu (rice wine), and salt to taste to the pot.
Close the lid and cook for 25 – 30 minutes or until the sauce has been reduced to a thick, shiny, syrupy liquid.