One of my pet peeves is calling a dish "Asian," but I didn't know how else to describe these ribs made with mirin, sake, and fish sauce. After all, nothing gets labeled as European Salad Dressing or European Spice Rub. I often call my family's dishes Chinese, Malaysian, or Singaporean, but this one is a mix of Japanese and Southeast Asian flavors. Mom says she got the idea from some cooking show, probably one of the Taiwanese or Hong Kong shows she watches, and copied the general idea. So while I was visiting in New York the week before Christmas, I showed her how to make carrot cake while she taught me this recipe. She's cute -- I think she intends on doing a recipe swap every time I visit. She says my dad adores these ribs, and after Joe tasted hers he was excited I was making them too.
One thing worth mentioning: In my hurry at the supermarket, I didn't realize I bought boneless country-style ribs. This resulted in the fattier pieces becoming juicy and fall-apart tender, while the leaner pieces were a bit tough and dry-textured. Buy spare ribs, not too lean, with bones in them.
Oh, and it's my 100th post! Yay!
