Sweet and Sour Mock Ribs

Name: Sweet and Sour Mock Ribs
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 160 g raw gluten (pressed into thin sheets, wrapped around chopsticks and boiled, cut into segments); 26 g rehydrated wood ear mushrooms (shredded); 220 g bamboo shoots (cooked, cut into strips and shaped like rib bones); 22 g each green and red bell peppers (seeds and membranes removed, shredded); 600 g sesame oil (actual consumption 110 g); 40 g clear broth; 110 g dry starch; 10 g wet starch; 80 g white sugar; 80 g vinegar oil; 30 g vinegar; 1 g minced ginger; soy sauce (mentioned in steps), to taste

Vegetarian sweet and sour spare ribs made with wheat gluten and winter bamboo shoots, featuring a crisp exterior, tender interior, and bright, delicious sweet-and-sour flavor.

1h 15m

Medium

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Ingredients

raw gluten (pressed into thin sheets, wrapped around chopsticks and boiled, cut into segments) 160 g

rehydrated wood ear mushrooms (shredded) 26 g

bamboo shoots (cooked, cut into strips and shaped like rib bones) 220 g

green and red bell peppers (seeds and membranes removed, shredded) 22 g each

sesame oil (actual consumption 110 g) 600 g

clear broth 40 g

dry starch 110 g

wet starch 10 g

white sugar 80 g

vinegar oil 80 g

vinegar 30 g

minced ginger 1 g

soy sauce (mentioned in steps) to taste

Instructions

Prepare the gluten

Press the gluten into thin sheets about 0.5 cm thick, then cut them into long strips about 3 cm wide. Take a pair of bamboo chopsticks held together and wind a gluten strip evenly around them from top to bottom so it does not loosen. Let rest for 5–6 minutes so it sticks firmly, then place the chopsticks with the gluten into a pot of boiling water and simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes. Remove and place in cold water, then gently pull out the chopsticks.

Prepare the rib segments

Cut the gluten into segments about 1.3 cm wide. Place in a bowl, add soy sauce and mix evenly, squeeze gently, then coat thoroughly with dry starch.

Shape the gluten into ribs

Boil the bamboo shoots in water until cooked, then cut into small strips 3 cm long, 1 cm wide, and 0.5 cm thick, and shape them like pork rib bones. Insert each strip into a gluten segment so a small piece sticks out at each end, forming rib-like shapes.

Prepare the side vegetables

Remove the seeds and membranes from the green and red bell peppers and wash them clean. Pick over and wash the wood ear mushrooms, then cut both into thin shreds.

Mix the sauce

Place the wood ear shreds in a bowl and add the clear broth, white sugar, soy sauce (2 g), vinegar, and wet starch to make a thickened sauce.

Fry the ribs

Pour sesame oil into a wok and heat over high heat to 70–80% hot. Add the "ribs" and fry until amber-colored, then pour through a strainer to drain off the oil.

Finish the dish

Return the wok to high heat, add sesame oil (30 g), and heat to 50–60% hot. Add the shredded peppers and minced ginger, stir-fry a few times, pour in the sauce and stir well, then add the fried "ribs" and toss a few times. Drizzle in a little sesame oil and serve.