The home chef’s recipe: Tan Tock Han’s braised pork rib

Tan Tock Han’s passion for cooking is evident in his well-equipped kitchen.

There’s a wet kitchen, a dry one, as well as an industry-grade outdoor grill in his home. The Chairman of KTL Offshore also has an impressive collection of tableware meant for different cuisines from Asia and the West.

You could say Tock Han was a late bloomer when it came to cooking. He started cooking seriously only when his son was away in university, picking up recipes and techniques from his mother and cookbooks.

Besides being an amazing home chef, Tock Han is an incredible host. He makes note of the dates and menus for his dinner parties, so his guests won’t have the dish twice. How’s that for hospitality? “The greatest pleasure, for me, is to see my family and guests smile and enjoy my dishes,” says the home chef.

Here, Tock Han shares one of his easiest recipe for braised pork ribs. “This dish takes no more than an hour to prep and cook. And when you bite into the ribs, you can feel the tenderness of the meat and the aromatic flavours. The dish is perfect to be eaten with rice or noodles and can be paired with red wine,” he offers.

Ingredients (serves 10)

10 pieces of 2.5 inches long pork ribs
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon seafood sauce
1 tablespoon chilli sauce
½ tablespoon sugar (white)
½ tablespoon dark soy sauce
1½ tablespoon sesame oil
1½ tablespoon Shao Xing wine
½ teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons garlic
120ml Coca Cola

Directions

1. Place ribs into a bowl large enough to hold all ribs. Season ribs with oyster sauce, seafood sauce, chili sauce, sugar (white), dark soy sauce, sesame oil, Shao Xing wine, pepper and garlic for 3 hours
2. Transfer the ribs to a pot, add Coca Cola. If necessary, you can add a bit of water, just to ensure the ribs are submerged completely
3. Bring to a boil over high heat, simmer for 10 minutes
4. Then bring to boil again and reduce heat to a simmer, turning the ribs occasionally every 15 minutes, simmer for 1.5 hours, or until you get a nice shiny pulp
5. Garnish and serve

(All images: Tan Tock Han)