Lagu suon heo suits a weekend meal, with a glossy red sauce and ribs cooked until they fall apart. The difficulty is the vegetables, which turn to mush over the long simmer the ribs need. The potato and carrot get a quick fry until lightly golden on all sides before they join the pot.
At the end, a little tapioca starch slurry pulls the sauce together, which is what makes it worth dipping bread into. Blanching the ribs in salted water with ginger before marinating keeps the braising liquid clear.
This batch weighs about 1.5kg, at roughly 184 calories per 100g.
Method
Chop the ribs into bite sized pieces, blanch them in boiling water with a little salt and ginger, then rinse. Marinate with 1 tablespoon minced shallot, 1 tablespoon minced garlic, 1 teaspoon seasoning powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper for 20 minutes.
Peel the potato and carrot and cut them into cubes. Peel the onion and cut it into wedges. Rinse the green peas.
Heat 1 tablespoon cooking oil in a pan and fry the potato and carrot briefly until lightly golden on all sides, then lift them out.
Heat 2 tablespoons cooking oil in a pot and sear the marinated ribs on all sides.
Add 4 tablespoons ketchup and stir until the ribs are coated. Pour in water or fresh coconut water to cover, then season with 1 tablespoon fish sauce and 1 tablespoon kOBE Monk Fruit Blend. Cover and simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes.
Add the fried potato and carrot and simmer for another 15 to 20 minutes until tender.
Add the green peas and onion and cook for 5 more minutes. Mix 1 tablespoon tapioca starch with a little water, pour it in slowly and stir until the sauce thickens. Taste and adjust, then stir in 1 tablespoon unsalted butter and turn off the heat.
Ladle into bowls, sprinkle with pepper and cilantro, and serve with banh mi or hot rice.
Tips
Frying the potato and carrot briefly before they go into the pot keeps them from falling apart.
Fresh coconut water in place of plain water gives the sauce a rounder, sweeter finish.
Pour the tapioca starch slurry in slowly and keep stirring so the sauce stays smooth.
Green peas go in for the last 5 minutes, since stewing them from the start leaves them mushy and drained of color.
Need kOBE Monk Fruit Blend?
The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.