Sticky star anise beef short ribs

I created this recipe as an ode to a delicious meal I enjoyed recently in a little hole in the wall called South China Dim Sum Bar with a special friend (click here to read about the experience in the words of my crazy BFF - I simply cannot compete with the description of the dinner we had!). Tucked into a tiny space on seedy Long Street in the Cape Town CBD, the dim sum bar is one of those dodgy-looking restaurants that you shrug off as the last place you’d expect to find yumminess. But I found it in the form of sticky beef short ribs, which fell off the bone and were soaked in a rich, lick-your-fingers kind of sauce. It was heaven straight out of a disposable cardboard cup, with steamed rice to soak up the sweet sauce. The best part of this recipe is that it uses short ribs, which are so affordable. It’s a cut that few have the patience to fuss with, but simmer it slow and steady and it’ll make you weak at the knees.

Sticky star anise beef short ribs

Serves 4-6

2kg beef short ribs

6 sticks cinnamon

6 whole star anise

5cm piece ginger, peeled and sliced

¼ cup brown sugar

¾ cup oyster sauce

¾ cup rice wine vinegar

1 cup water

juice of 1 lemon

Rice and fresh coriander, to serve

Place the beef, cinnamon, star anise, ginger, garlic, sugar, oyster sauce, vinegar and water in a baking dish and cover tightly with aluminium foil. Roast for 2 hours at 180 degrees celcius. Remove foil and roast for a further 30 minutes or until tender and sticky. Squeeze the lemon juice over and serve with a mixture of brown and wild rice and fresh coriander on the side.

Sticky beer ribs on the braai

Nothing reminds me more of the promise of summer and warm weather like the smell of freshly mowed grass and the smoky aroma of braaivleis hanging in the air. Having said that, the smell of braaivleis is the only fond memory I have of childhood braais since my father is possibly the worst braaier ever.  More often than not the charred remains of chicken wings and boerewors would be passed silently under the table to our happy black Labrador to devour while my father’s attention was elsewhere. My dad does, however, make the best bonfires and some of my best summer memories are of our family sitting around the huge crackling fire, laughing and roasting marshmallows together.

So here’s what I will be making for braai day on 24 September and I hope that this recipe will make it’s way onto your braai too which will hopefully be surrounded by delicious aroma’s, happy laughter and good memories!

2 x 350g rack of pork ribs, halved

2 x 340ml tins beer

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1T oil

2T freshly grated ginger

1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped

6T tomato sauce

2T golden syrup

3T light soy sauce

Place the ribs and beer in a saucepan, cover and bring to the boil. Simmer gently for 35-40 minutes or until tender and cooked. Remove the ribs from the beer and reduce the liquid.

In a large dish, mix the garlic, oil, ginger, chilli, tomato sauce, syrup and soy sauce.

Add the hot ribs and coat well. Leave to cool and chill until ready to braai.

Cook the ribs over medium heat coals on the braai for 15-20 minutes or until brown and sticky.