Traditional Vietnamese Fried Lemongrass Pork Ribs with Fish Sauce (Sườn Chiên Sả)

Step 1

Remove the outer membrane of the pork. It’s typically only on one side. Start off by tearing or cutting a small piece then pull the rest off with your hands. It can get slippery. If so, use a paper towel for a better grip. Clean the pork by giving it a good rub down with salt. This helps get rid of any foul pork smell and surface residue. Rinse the ribs under cold running water to wash off salt then drain or pat dry.

Step 2

Cut in-between the bones into long single rib pieces, then use a sharp meat cleaver/butcher knife to hack each rib into bite-size 2-inch segments. Have confidence in your hacking skill to have clean cuts. Otherwise, you will have small pieces of bone fragments. Be careful of those fingers.

Step 3

In a medium-size bowl, marinate ribs with bouillon powder, sugar, fish sauce, ground black pepper, baking soda, garlic, and lemongrass for at least 1 hour or overnight in the fridge for best results.

Step 4

In a large 12-skillet with a lid, heat vegetable oil on medium-high. Toss marinated pork ribs with cornstarch until evenly coated. Pan fry spare ribs until golden brown on all sides (about 5 minutes).

Step 5

Add water (½ cup), cover skillet with a lid, and cook for 10 minutes until tender. Remove lid and continue to pan-fry until moisture is gone.

Step 6

Garnish with sliced green onion/scallion and a sprinkle of freshly cracked black pepper and serve. Serve with rice or noodles for a complete meal.