Pork Ribs King (排骨王) is a Chinese-style dish featuring deep-fried pork ribs coated in a flavorful sweet and sour sauce. In this recipe, I use thin, meaty pork ribs with a small portion of bone attached, fry them twice for a golden, crisp exterior, and toss them briefly in a homemade sauce just before serving.
The sauce combines Chinese rice vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, tomato ketchup, Chinese plum sauce, sugar, and Chinese five-spice powder. The result is a sweet, tangy, and savory coating that pairs especially well with plain steamed rice.
In this video, you'll see how I prepare the pork, make the sauce, and use two-stage frying to achieve the texture I want for my version of Pork Ribs King.
Get the Full Recipe
You can find the complete Pork Ribs King recipe, including the ingredient quantities and detailed step-by-step instructions, on my blog:
https://tasteasianfood.com/deep-fried-pork-ribs/
Video Chapters
00:00 Introduction
01:03 Preparing the Pork
02:37 Making the Sweet and Sour Sauce
04:44 Fry the Pork Ribs
08:13 Recipe
Recipe
Ingredients:
Pork and Marinade:
500 g pork ribs, preferably a thin, meaty cut
1 tbsp oyster sauce
¾ tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp sesame oil
½ tsp ground white pepper
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
¼ tsp baking soda (optional)
Cornstarch, as needed for coating
Cooking oil, for deep-frying
Sweet and Sour Sauce:
50 ml Chinese rice vinegar (red vinegar 浙醋 preferred; Chinkiang vinegar 镇江香醋 is also suitable)
15 ml Worcestershire sauce
37 ml tomato ketchup
37 ml Chinese plum sauce
15 g sugar
½ tsp Chinese five-spice powder
50 ml water
To Finish:
1 tbsp Shaoxing wine (optional)
Toasted white sesame seeds (optional)
Instructions:
1. Marinate the pork: Rub the oyster sauce, salt, sugar, sesame oil, ground white pepper, and flour into the pork. Add baking soda if using. Cover and refrigerate for 2–3 hours or overnight.
2. Prepare the sauce: Combine the rice vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, plum sauce, sugar, five-spice powder, and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Let cool.
3. Coat the pork: Make a small slit through the strip of fat along each piece if needed to reduce curling. Coat with cornstarch, shake off the excess, and rest for about 5 minutes.
4. First fry: Heat the oil to 150°C (300°F). For the thin, meaty ribs used in this recipe, fry for approximately 1½ minutes per side, or about 3 minutes total. Remove and place on a wire rack.
5. Second fry: Increase the oil temperature to 200°C (390°F). Fry the pork for approximately 20–30 seconds total, turning as needed to color both sides. Check the internal temperature and continue cooking if necessary.
6. Rest safely: Ensure whole cuts of pork reach at least 63°C (145°F) internally, then rest for at least 3 minutes.
7. Coat and serve: Heat the prepared sauce until hot. Add Shaoxing wine if desired, then turn off the stove. Gently toss the fried pork in the sauce, garnish with toasted sesame seeds if using, and serve promptly.
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The soundtracks in this video have the following Artlist license:
License Owner - KWAN KA PANG
License Number - 540246
Amos Ever Hadani - Dancing with My Baby
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