Food And Culture: Sweet And Sour Pork Ribs

Food and Culture Student’s Name: Institutional affiliation: Food and Culture Introduction People connect with their ethnic group or cultural through similar food patterns. People also use food to retain their cultural identity when they move to other countries. Similarly, people from different cultural backgrounds eat different foods. Moreover, the ingredients, methods of preparing and preserving foods and the types of food we eat at different meals differ with our cultures. Where our ancestors came from or the areas our families live also influence what food we like or dislike. Our food preferences give rise to patterns of food choices within a regional or cultural group (Cheung & Wu, 2014). For instance, my meal is the “sweet and sour pork ribs” (Tang Cu Pai Gu). Restrictively, the spare ribs are chosen as the main ingredients. However, the popularity of this meal is not is not only because of its delicious taste but also its beautiful color. Although many people may prefer to eat this meal at a restaurant because it is reasonably hard to achieve at home, the “Sweet and sour pork ribs” food remains connected to Chinese food culture because sweet and sour is a popular taste in many Chinese cuisines. The Process of the Meal Ingredients * 1 pound pork ribs (cut into 1 to 1.5 inch sections) * 3 tablespoon black vinegar * 2-tablespoons cooking oil * 1 teaspoon extra black vinegar * 2 tablespoons cooking wine * 2 tablespoons light soy sauce and dark soy sauce * 1 star anise (optional) * 3 ginger slices * 4 green onion * 30-35g mashed white sugar * hot water Procedure Cut ribs into 1-1.5 inch sections and place them in cold water. Transfer to boil and proceed with cooking for about 2-3 minutes (China Sichuan Food, 2015). Then transfer out and rinse the rib sections under running warm water and set them aside to drain. Use light soy sauce and dark soy sauce first, then add some pepper to marinate the pork ribs for 20 minutes. Fry until mature, and then add white sugar in a wok. Heat to melt, add ribs, stir-fry, and then add light Soy sauce and dark soy sauce continue to stir-fry. Add boiling water, and then add ginger and green onions. Cook over medium heat for 40 minutes, and then open the fire to collect juice, add black vinegar before serving. The whole procedure should take approximately 50 minutes in total; 30 minutes preparation time and 20 minutes cook time. Sweet and sour taste in Chinese cuisine can be achieved by different ingredients. For example, in this recipe, we use soy sauce, mashed sugar, and black vinegar (China Sichuan Food, 2015). The recipe might include a lot of oil and this should not be a bother because the ribs will not absorb them while cooking as you will be able to discard most of the oil in the end. When stir-frying the sugar, one should use the keep stirring while using the slowest fire. The food should be removed from fire if the temperature is too hot (China Sichuan Food, 2015). Additionally, the ribs should be drained entirely before they are added to the wok to avoid splashing out the white sugar or sugar color used. Draining the ribs carefully and following the recipe helps in avoiding oil splatter as well as overcooked sugar. The meal can be s...