Plum-flavored Spare Ribs

Soak the preserved plums in water in advance. Put the ribs in cold water and add scallions, ginger, cooking wine, and the 'if you don't have it, don't add it' series of ingredients.

After the water boils, skim off the foam and take out the ribs to rinse with warm water, then drain and pan-fry until they change color.

In a clean pan, add rock sugar and hot water / stir-fry the sugar to get a caramel color in oil (sugar-to-water ratio 1:1, flame height not exceeding the sugar water level in the pan).

Cooking caramel color: Stir slowly, just let the rock sugar melt quickly. If a lot of big bubbles appear densely and the syrup is very thin, it means there is still water inside. Don’t rush, just take it slowly. When it frosts, over time, the color in the pan will become darker, and the height will decrease. The heat should be turned lower, stirring continuously, until it reaches the color of sesame oil. This is when it’s ready for sugar pulling, such as for pulled-sugar sweet potatoes or pulled-sugar yam. At this stage, the caramel color can be used. As the temperature in the pan rises, the color will get deeper. After the sugar pulling step, caramel color can be used to make candied hawthorn. When the caramel color cools after this step, it becomes very crispy. After the glaze stage, switch to low heat. When big bubbles start appearing in the pan, pour in hot water along the edge of the pan. After adding half a catty of sugar to half a catty of hot water, continue cooking for another 30 seconds. Do not cook for too long. One batch of caramel color is done.

Add the ribs to brown, then add scallions, ginger, star anise, and bay leaves. Add a small amount of cooking wine/huangjiu, then add hoisin sauce and soy sauce and stir-fry evenly.

After adding fragrance, pour in boiling water until it covers the ribs, then add soaked dried plums (along with the soaking water). After the water boils, simmer on medium-low heat for 40 minutes until the dish is done. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.