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5 from 13 votes

Crispy Honey Garlic Ribs

Not your traditional Chinese honey garlic ribs, these deep fried bite-sized ribs are crispy, drizzled with honey and coated in crispy garlic bits.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Snack
Cuisine: Asian, Chinese
Servings: 3 Servings
Calories: 506kcal
Author: Joyce Lee

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs side ribs (spare ribs)
  • ¼ cup honey (for tossing the ribs in at the end)
  • 10-15 garlic cloves (as crispy topping)

Rib Marinade

  • 1 tablespoon garlic (minced)
  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • ½ tablespoon + 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
  • 5-6 tablespoons corn starch (to create a batter after marination)

Instructions

Preparation

  • Peel 10-15 garlic cloves and finely mince it. Set the garlic aside.

Marinate the Ribs

  • Cut between the bones of the ribs into 1-inch pieces and place them in a large bowl.
  • Add 2 tablespoons fish sauce, 1 teaspoon sugar and ½ tablespoon + 1 teaspoon rice vinegar into the bowl with the ribs and mix everything together.
  • Marinate it in the fridge for a minimum of at least 2 hours, but it tastes best overnight.
  • After 2 hours, add in 5-6 tablespoons corn starch to coat the ribs, this will create a semi-dry coating.

Deep Frying the Garlic

  • In a high wall pot, add about 2 inches of oil and set the stove to medium heat.
  • Once the oil is hot, add in all the garlic. (To test if the oil is hot, add a few bits of garlic to see if it sizzles)
  • Keep stirring the garlic, the garlic closer to the walls of the pot will cook faster and burn faster.
  • Once the garlic is a golden yellow (approximately 3-5 minutes of cooking), turn off the heat. Remove the garlic by using a strainer to scoop it out. The garlic will continue to cook and brown. (Reserve the garlicky oil for deep frying the ribs.) Set the crispy garlic aside for later.

Deep Frying the Riblets

  • Pour the garlicky oil back into the pot and bring the oil back to temperature on medium heat. (You may need to adjust this to a lower setting depending on how strong your stove is)
  • Cook the ribs in batches, careful not to over crowd the pan and cook it for 4-6 minutes. (If the ribs are browning too quickly, lower the heat a notch)
  • Once all the ribs are done cooking, set it on some paper towel to absorb some of the grease.
  • Drizzle ¼ cup honey generously on the deep fried ribs and toss it to make sure every rib has honey coating it. Then sprinkle some crispy garlic on top. The crispy garlic will stick to the honey coating.
  • Serve piping hot or warm! It's best when it's is freshly made!

Notes

  • If you have extra crispy garlic bits, use them to top your rice, noodles or soups! This stuff makes everything delicious.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Serving | Calories: 506kcal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 21g | Sodium: 985mg | Sugar: 23g