Recipes

Chinese Salt & 2 Pepper Ribs

Serves 4

| Prep Time: 30 mins

| Cook Time: 25 mins

| Total Time: 55 mins

You may need: Chinese Salt & 2 Pepper

Discover The Recipe

If you’re a fan of Chinese cuisine and/or BBQ, then you will absolutely love this recipe for Chinese Salt & 2 Pepper Ribs. Easy to make and oh-so-scrumptious, these air-fried ribs are crispy on the outside, tender inside, and bursting with flavor. Chinese salt and pepper recipes typically consist of meat or seafood that has been seasoned with a blend of – you guessed it – salt, pepper and other spices. The protein is usually stir-fried or deep fried for a flavorful, crispy exterior then finished with vibrant aromatics. It is believed that Chinese salt and pepper cooking originated in the Sichuan province of China, where they refer to it as “yan su ji”. Over time, this cooking style has made its way to other regions of the world and remains popular on most menus at Chinese restaurants.

We pride ourselves on being an innovative spice brand and our proprietary blend called Chinese Salt & 2 Pepper meets the mark. This blend delivers authentic Sichuan Chinese flavor to your favorite dishes. Crafted with fine sea salt flakes, freshly ground white peppercorn, and sichuan pepper, it’s unlike any other salt and pepper blend. Sichuan pepper provides a citrusy punch followed by a unique mouth tingle or slight numbing. After marinating the spare ribs, the ribs are then coated in cornstarch and air-fried until crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The ribs are then tossed in a potpourri of aromatics like garlic, green onion and chili peppers for a visually appealing and fragrant finish. You won’t have a need for takeout after making this dish!

Ingredients

1 rack pork spare ribs, cut into individual pieces
1 Tbsp Piquant Post Chinese Salt & 2 Pepper
2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp oil plus 1 tsp, divided for frying (peanut, canola, or avocado are neutral flavored)
1 green onion, minced
4 cloves garlic
1 thai red chili, jalapeño, or serrano pepper, seeded and minced
To serve: steamed white rice

Notes

This recipe comes together quickly and does not require long hours of cooking to get the pork ribs nice and tender.

Instructions

Preheat your air fryer to 375 degrees. Season the ribs with Piquant Post Chinese Salt & 2 Pepper, sugar and soy sauce and let marinate for 30 minutes. Add the cornstarch and oil and toss to coat well.

Place the seasoned ribs in a single layer on the air fryer tray. Cook for 20 minutes flipping halfway (at 10 mins).

In the final minute of cooking, heat a small sauté pan over Med-High heat. Add the oil, green onion, garlic and thai red chili and cook for 30 seconds. Add the cooked ribs to the pan and stir to coat with the aromatics for about 3 minutes.

Turn off the heat and top with garnish with more chopped green onions. Serve alongside steamed white rice.

Alternatives & Substitutions

Salt & pepper recipes are popular in Chinese cooking especially when it comes to fried foods. The protein of choice is seasoned liberally with a salt and pepper blend, deep fried until golden brown then tossed with aromatics for a vibrant finish.
This recipe is air fried for a more health conscious approach. If you don’t own an air fryer, you can prepare these ribs in an oven but be sure to keep the rack whole. Cook the rack of ribs, uncovered at 350 degrees for 1 hour, then flip them over and cook at 375 degrees for an additional 1 hour until tender.
The aromatics usually consist of a blend of garlic, green onion, chilis and herbs. Try adding some chopped cilantro and even minced shallots for some variety. You can also omit the red chili pepper if you aren’t a huge fan of extra spicy foods.
Interested in a plant-based version of this recipe? Then substitute the pork spare ribs with extra firm tofu like in our “2 Pepper Tofu” recipe. Also check out our Vegan Dan Dan Noodles for more plant-based goodness.
Our Chinese Salt & 2 Pepper blend is designed to coax amazing flavor out of your recipes and work great as a finishing salt on meats, stir-fries and noodle dishes.
In the mood for some seafood delights? Try our Ginger and Scallion Fish, Hong Kong Scallops with Ginger and Soy and Salt & 2 Pepper Shrimp.
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