Honey Garlic Pork Ribs (Air Fry) 蒜子蜜汁骨

Name: Honey Garlic Pork Ribs (Air Fry) 蒜子蜜汁骨
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 1 lbs Pork Side Ribs or Spareribs, individual ribs or cut into chopstick size pieces; 10 Cloves of Fresh Garlic minced; 2 tbsp Brown Sugar; 2 tbsp Shaoxing Wine; 2 tsp Ground White Pepper; 2 tbsp Dark Soy Sauce; 2 tbs Oyster Sauce; 2 tbps corn starch; Kosher Salt to taste; 1 tbsp Avocado Oil or Cooking Spray for air frying; 1/4 C Maltose Sugar or Honey; 4 Cloves of Fresh Garlic, minced (optional); 1 tsp Fresh Ginger, grated; 1 tbsp Shaoxing Wine; 1 tsp Chinkiang black vinegar; 1 tbsp Dark Soy Sauce; 1 tsp Chicken Essence Powder (optional)

Oct 30, 2022 · 80 Comments

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蒜子蜜汁骨 Honey Garlic Pork Ribs (Air Fry) is an addicting Cantonese style dish that is delicious with a sweetly sticky glaze. All you need is 15 minutes, and you can wrap your fingers around these crispy garlic bits coated in a sticky honey garlic sauce famous on Chinese restaurant menus.

蒜子蜜汁骨 Chinese Honey Garlic Pork Ribs (Air Fry)

If you love rack of ribs or Dim Sum Steamed Pork Ribs with Kabocha Squash, then you will love these honey garlic spareribs! After all, this Chinese restaurant style Sticky honey garlic spare ribs dish is the best way to get your dim sum fix without ordering for delivery service!

Check out this quick story summary of our recipe!

> In This Post: Everything You'll Need For Honey Garlic Ribs

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> In This Post: Everything You'll Need For Honey Garlic Ribs
Ingredients and Substitutes
Side Story
Instructions
What To Serve With Honey Garlic Ribs
> Recipe Card
Honey Garlic Pork Ribs (Air Fry) 蒜子蜜汁骨

Ingredients and Substitutes

Pork Ribs or Spare Ribs - Baby back ribs are more tender and fatty than spare ribs. Opt for either type of ribs cut into small pieces. You can also use individual ribs if you do not prefer bite-size pieces.
Fresh Garlic Cloves or Garlic Powder
Maltose Sugar or Honey or Rock Sugar
Brown Sugar or Monk Fruit Sugar
Chinkiang black vinegar - this is not the same as Balsamic vinegar.
Ground White Pepper
Avocado Oil or Neutral Cooking Oil
Kosher Salt
Finely Chopped Green Onions for garnish
Fresh Cilantro for garnish
Corn Starch
Shaoxing Wine - Adding Chinese cooking wine to the marinade adds depth and enhances the flavour.
Light Soy Sauce
Dark Soy Sauce
Oyster Sauce

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Side Story

Honey Garlic Ribs, a Chinese takeout favourite, somehow this popular homemade dish in Hong Kong obtained a bit of trivia status for being developed for the North American market by Chinese immigrants.

It follows the misconception similar to General Taos Chicken was created for the Western palate vs being originated without sugar in Taiwan. Or that Sweet and Sour Chicken Balls are developed for the West. If you investigate, Sweet and Sour Sauce 糖醋醬, tángcùjiàng, originates back in the Tang Dynasty in 708, by cooking vinegar, preserved plums and hawthorn candy for an almost scarlet colour and sweet-sour taste.

For example, the iconic Sweet and SourPork 咕噜肉 is made by lightly tossing deep-fried pork pieces with Tang Cujiang and not throwing together a ketchup mixture with pineapple chunks. Tho, I have to admit, I quite enjoy the sweet-tart-tasting tropical fruit!

Here are a couple spareribs root-forward dishes I am genuinely obsessed with from the blog! Both these recipes are delicious and easy to make!

Other Spareribs Recipes

Red Fermented Bean Curd Lotus Root Spareribs 南乳蓮藕炆排骨
Lotus Root Pork Bone Soup with Peanuts
Winter Melon Soup With Pork Ribs 冬瓜湯
Air Fried Spareribs With Red Fermented Bean Curd 氣炸鍋南乳排骨

Instructions

First, wash the pork ribs with cold water and pat dry with kitchen paper towels.

If using a full rack of back ribs, remove the membrane and trim off excess fat.

Cut pork ribs into small bite-sized pieces if desired. Most Asian supermarkets and meat shops will already carry this cut of pork.

Pro Tip: When cooking Chinese spare ribs, it is favourable to parboil the ribs with Shaoxing cooking wine, sliced ginger and scallions to remove the pork bone blood and impurities.

Add pork ribs and marinade sauce (minced garlic, Shaoxing cooking wine, ground white pepper powder, brown sugar, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, corn starch and kosher salt) into a large reusable freezer bag.

I really like these silicone storage bags. They are one of the best reusable gallon freezer bags!

Seal the large reusable freezer bag and massage the marinade around the meat until evenly coated.

Place into the refrigerator and let marinate for at least 20 minutes. Marinating overnight will be more flavourful.

How To Air Fry Tender Ribs

Preheat air fryer to 400°F.

Use air fryer parchment paper and line the bottom of the air fryer basket for easy clean-ups.

Place spareribs in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Spray the pork chops with cooking spray or with an oil mister.

Cooking spare ribs in the air fryer is a great way to get the ribs extra crispy without excess oil.

Set the cooking time to 10 minutes at 375F. Flipping halfway.

Cook at 400F for another 5 minutes for bite-sized individual pieces or 6-7 minutes for the meatier side ribs.

Insert an instant read thermometer at the thickest part of the pork side ribs and check that the internal temperature of the meat is at least 145F.

Air fry until golden brown.

Honey Garlic Sauce

There are different ways to make this Honey Garlic Sauce. Some people prefer to use rock sugar and melt it in the wok, followed by the remaining seasoning ingredients.

While the spareribs are air frying, prepare honey garlic sauce in a large bowl.

The following is a simple and fuss free way to make homemade honey garlic sauce. Add regular soy sauce or gluten free dark soy sauce, minced garlic, grated ginger or ginger powder, maltose syrup or honey, Shaoxing cooking wine and Chinkiang black vinegar to a small bowl. Mix well.

You may also opt to add a little bit of Chicken Essence Powder to enhance the flavour profile.

Assembly

Carefully transfer bone tender ribs from the air fryer with tongs or a slotted spoon.

Evenly coat the ribs with honey garlic sauce. Toss and mix well.

Return the ribs glazed with honey sweet sauces to the air fryer and cook at 400F for a further minute or two minutes for bigger pieces.

Drizzle on the additional sauce if desired.

Serve these crispy pork pieces on a serving plate. Garnish with sesame seeds, finely chopped green onions or fresh cilantro.

Let rest for a few minutes.

Enjoy hot!

Other Variations

Now that you know how to make these Hong Kong style Honey Garlic Ribs, you can also try these other traditional Chinese food recipes with pork ribs.

Kabocha Pork Ribs Soup 南北杏南瓜排骨湯
Black Bean Steamed Pork Ribs with Kabocha Squash 豉汁南瓜蒸排骨
Salt and Pepper Spareribs
Air Fry Honey Garlic Pork Ribs 蒜子蜜汁骨
Braised Spareribs with Prunes 酸梅排骨

This kid-friendly pork recipe is easy to make and finger licking delicious. The best part is that these ribs are not deep-fried in a lot of oil. It is an easy way to impress your guests. They will think it's from their favourite Cantonese restaurants.

What To Serve With Honey Garlic Ribs

Crispy ribs with honey garlic sauce are flavourful garlicky, sweet, sticky, and savoury. It is best to balance out a bowl of white jasmine steamed rice or stir-fried leafy green vegetables.

After indulging in spicy, heaty, and crispy food, don't forget to cool away heat with a bowl of this liver-detoxing Chinese Sweet Mung Bean Soup 綠豆沙!

What Are Some Unique Spareribs Recipes for Dinner Tonight?

Tired of the same old dinner routine? You’re not alone. If your usual meals are starting to feel a little too predictable, it’s time to switch things up. Beyond this Chinese-style honey ribs with garlic, we've rounded up inspiring recipes – crispy spare ribs included – that bring bold flavour and fresh ideas to your weeknight table. Think sticky, savoury, and unforgettable—without spending hours in the kitchen. Make these. Skip takeout. Better than your local Chinese restaurants!

I'd love to see how you've used my recipes! Leave a comment below or tag me on Instagram @INSTANOMSS #INSTANOMSS.

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