Braised Sea Cucumber with Pork Ribs

It is Chinese New Year and this year, it is a meaning year for me as I have a chance to cook for my family as well as my husband's family. Besides steamboat, I also prepared Sarawak Laksa for my family. I was trying something new and light so that we are not always stuffed with food!

Since my dad is quite a 'tradition' person, my mom did make his favorite dish, braised sea cucumber with pork knuckle. As for myself who does not really like knuckle, I modify the recipe by replacing the knuckle with pork ribs. The results turns out really good especially if you are a health conscious person as pork ribs do not give as much fat as knuckle.

Besides the ribs, I also add in some dry scallops to bring up the taste of this dish. Scallops need to wash and soak overnight. Keep the water so that you can use it to braise the ribs. Mushrooms also need to soak over night. You may soak the fish maw until they are soft before braising them with sea cucumber. Since I am a lazy person, I did not soak the fish maw. Instead, I braise directly with the pork ribs. I find out the taste of the fish maw is better if I braise directly with pork ribs as the fish maw tends to absorb the sauce of the gravy.

The only step that you need to take note is the time to put in sea cucumber. It is to make sure that the ribs are soft before adding in the sea cucumber. Sea cucumber takes shorter time to braise, normally I will take another 30 minutes. It is all depending on your taste buds.

Last but not least is the ginger. I will normally marinate the ribs, mushroom and sea cucumber with some ginger juice for around 30 minutes before cooking.

Ingredients

300g pork ribs

600g of sea cucmber

2 cloves of garlic ( do not mince)

10 pieces of mushrooms, soak overnight

3 pieces of dry scallops, wash and soak overnight. Keep the water

3 pieces of fish maw

Black moss, soaks with water

4 tbsp of ginger juice

1 carrot, cut into slices

Light soya sauce to taste

Salt to taste

2 tbsp cooking oil

Water

1. Marinate the pork ribs, mushroom and sea cucumber with 1 tbsp of ginger juice respectively for 30 minutes.

2. Heat up 1 tbsp cooking oil, stir fry mushroom and add in some salt to taste. Stir fry for a minute and set aside.

3. Using the same pan, heat up 1 tbsp oil. Add in garlic (with skin) and fry till fragrant.

4. Add in ribs and stir fry till the outer layer of ribs is cooked. Add in water just to cover the ribs for braising. 

5. When the water is boiling, add in dry scallops and its water. Add in also fish maw and mushroom. Keep stirring the fish maw until the fish maw is soft and soak into the gravy. Let them braised until the ribs is soft. It normally takes around 30-45 minutes depending on the size of the ribs. You may add in some water if the water dries up.

6. When the ribs is soft, add in sea cucumber and carrot. Continue braise for another 15-30 minutes until you get the desire softness for the sea cucumber. 

7. Finally, add in the black moss. Wait for another 1 minute before taste with soya sauce and turn off fire. 

NOTE: You may add in oyster sauce in order to get stronger flavor.