Braised Beef Spare Ribs with Ale, Soy and Ginger

Preheat the oven to 150˚C.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large ovenproof casserole or sauté pan. Season the ribs and brown on all sides. Transfer to a plate as they are done. Drain off all the oil from the pan, leaving the sticky bits behind.

Put the onion, garlic, oyster and soy sauces, sugar and spices in a food processor and process to a fine paste. Add the remaining oil to the pan, pour in the paste and cook over a low heat for 3-4 minutes. Stir in the ale and stock and bring to the boil. Return the ribs to the pan with any meat juices and nestle them in the sauce. Place a piece of baking paper over the ribs then cover tightly with a lid. Braise for 1 hour then turn the ribs over and drizzle with ½ a cup of the coconut cream. Replace the baking paper and lid and braise for a further hour. Uncover and drizzle over the final ¼ cup of coconut cream, cover again and braise for 15 minutes. By this time the meat should be falling off the bone. If it’s not and the sauce is very thick, stir in a little water and continue to braise in the same way until tender.

To serve: Transfer the ribs to a serving platter and drizzle with extra coconut cream and scatter with coriander, crispy fried shallots and cashew nuts. 

Pantry note: Crisp fried shallots are available at Asian food stores and good supermarkets.

Cook’s tip: Don’t use a strong beer in this recipe or the finished sauce will be too bitter.