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You don’t have to wait until the weekend to enjoy baby back ribs. With the Instant Pot, you can prepare Sticky Asian Ribs in less than 90 minutes! Slathered with caramelized glaze, these ribs are absolutely finger-licking good!
One of my cooking dreams was to make baby back ribs at home. I’m not a big meat eater, and on a daily basis, I eat more vegetables than meat. However, I have a soft spot for Yakiniku (Japanese BBQ) and fall-off-the-bone baby back ribs smothered with a sweet-savory delicious sauce, which I discovered when I came to America.
Since our good friend John makes killer smoked baby back ribs, Mr. JOC and I didn’t have to get our own smoker and make our own. The only problem was that I couldn’t eat good ribs when I want to eat them. That’s when I started to make my ribs in the Instant Pot. Today I’ll show you our family’s favorite, Instant Pot Sticky Asian Ribs (甘辛スペアリブ).
Making Ribs in the Instant Pot
Until you give this recipe a try, you probably won’t believe how amazing this recipe and Instant Pot is! Compared to the common 2-to-3-hour slow-cooking oven method, cooking baby back ribs in the pressure cooker drastically cuts down the cooking time. And it comes together super fast for a weeknight meal.
Without the pressure cooker, there is NO way you can eat fall-off-the-bone ribs in less than 90 minutes from start to finish, which includes the 30-minute resting time for the ribs with dry rub.
Pressure cooking ribs for 25-30 minutes is plenty for the meat to come off the bone. You will need to use the oven (broiler) to finish it off, but that’s just several minutes. Too easy? You must give it a try!
Delicious Sticky Asian Sauce
You can definitely use this recipe as a base for the American style ribs. Rub in the baby back ribs with your go-to dry rub, cook in the Instant Pot, and apply homemade/store-bought BBQ sauce before placing the ribs into the oven to broil.
H0wever, I want to introduce you to this delicious Sticky Asian Sauce today! All you need is the typical Japanese condiments: sake, mirin, soy sauce, and rice vinegar. I sweetened the sauce with brown sugar and honey and give the sauce a kick with garlic and ginger.
With this sauce, this dish goes well with even rice or noodles! Isn’t it nice to add variations to your baby back rib recipes?
If you are new to Japanese cooking and want to know more about both sake and mirin, the essential condiments for Japanese cooking, you can find more information on each condiment on these pages.
5 Tips to Make Amazing Sticky Asian Ribs
Even though this recipe is pretty straightforward and easy, I thought I’d give some tips that I found important.
1. Remove membrane
For the very first ribs I made, I completely forgot to remove the membrane, so I thought I would add a reminder here. The membrane is white, very thin connective tissue and located on the back (the bone side) of the ribs. Your butcher may already have the membrane removed. If not, you can ask them to remove it for you.
If you buy already packaged ribs, then you can remove it yourself very easily. Just flip the ribs so the top (meaty part) is face down. Pull the corner of the membrane using a paper towel because it’s slippery. No special skills needed here, just use your fingers and a paper towel to pull it off.
2. Use dry rub
The flavor in the baby back ribs starts with the dry rub. This mix of seasonings and salt helps break down the fibers in the meat to create a complex depth in flavor.
The dry rub is a mixture of only dry seasonings and you need to rub them into the meat and set aside for 30 minutes. The dry rub that I use for this recipe is a simple concoction of salt, black pepper, white pepper and shichimi togarashi (Japanese Seven Spice). Shichimi togarashi is a beloved Japanese spice blend made of Japanese chili powder, orange peel, sesame seeds, Japanese pepper, ginger, and seaweed. It gives a spicy, citrusy and nutty flavor to everything you sprinkle on.
3. Use Apple Cider Vinegar
Acidity in the vinegar breaks down the ligaments and tenderizes the meat as well as adding some sweetness. I use a mix of water and apple cider vinegar to flavor my ribs as they cook.
4. Place ribs vertically
To support the weight, make sure to place the rack with the ends of the ribs facing up and on top of the wire rack without touching the liquid.
5. Finish off in the broiler/grill
After pressure cooking, the meat is super tender but looks rather steamed. Therefore, it’s important to finish off the ribs in the broiler or over the grill to give some nice char. The sauce you apply on the ribs will be caramelized in the high heat and it gives luscious look on the baby back ribs.
Extra Tip: Gently remove the ribs from the Instant Pot
No, I’m not joking, the meat is so tender that it might literally fall off the bone (and yes, that happened to me). The pressure cooking time is 25-30 minutes. If the presentation is important to you, cook for 25 minutes as I do in this recipe. It is still tender, but the meat won’t’ fall off the bone too easily.
Sake Pairing with Sho Chiku Bai REI Junmai Daiginjo
We paired this tender juicy fall off the bone ribs with the exquisite Sho Chiku Bai REI Junmai Daiginjo. REI is one of our favorite sakes as it’s versatile and can be enjoyed with a wide range of dishes.
As you bite into the juicy ribs slathered in the sweet and tangy sauce, sip REI and the cold and smooth sake cuts right through the fatty meat with its fruity flavors. It instantly refreshes your taste buds and leaves you wanting another sip and another big bite of the ribs.
The floral characteristics of Sho Chiku Bai REI Junmai Dainginjo compliment the flavors of the ribs really well and we highly recommend pairing it with flavorful dishes like these ribs.
Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want to look for substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.
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Make these Sticky Asian Ribs in less than 90 minutes using the Instant Pot! Slathered with caramelized glaze, these ribs are absolutely finger-licking good!
- 3-3½ lb baby back ribs (max amount for 6-QT Instant Pot)
- 1 cup water (for pressure cooking)
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar (for pressure cooking)
- ¼ tsp liquid smoke (optional for smoky flavor; I skip for this recipe)
- 2 tsp kosher/sea salt (I use Diamond Crystal; Use half for table salt)
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tsp shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spice)
- ¼ tsp white pepper powder
- ¼ cup sake
- ¼ cup mirin
- ½ cup soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 4 Tbsp brown sugar
- 3 Tbsp honey
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 knob ginger
- 2 tsp toasted white sesame seeds
- 1 green onion/scallion (chopped diagonally)
- Gather all the ingredients.
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In a small bowl, mix together all the dry rub ingredients: 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper, 2 tsp shichimi togarashi, and ¼ tsp white pepper.
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Remove the membrane from the underside of the ribs, pulling it down the entire length with a paper towel (because it's very slippery!). You can ask the butcher to remove it for you. The ribs on the right are without membrane.
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Season the ribs with the dry rub mixture on both sides of the ribs. Here I use UchiCook's Maraca Sifter. This is so convenient to sprinkle seasonings evenly!
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Use dry rub to cover all sides, and then rub in thoroughly on both sides. Set aside for 30 minutes.
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In a small saucepan, combine ¼ cup sake, ¼ cup mirin, ½ cup soy sauce, 1 Tbsp rice vinegar, 4 Tbsp brown sugar, and 3 Tbsp honey.
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Grate ginger (I use this ceramic grater) and mince garlic (I use this garlic press), and add to the sauce.
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Cook/simmer on low heat for next 30-40 minutes.
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Turn off the heat. The sauce may be still liquid-like, but once it cools down, the sauce will get thicken further. The sauce will be roughly ⅔ cup after cool down.
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Place the metal steam rack into a 6-QT Instant Pot. Add 1 cup water and ¼ cup apple cider vinegar.
- Put the ribs upright on top of the rack, wrapping in a circle.
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Select Manual setting; adjust the pressure to high, and set time for 25-30 minutes (if you want the meat to fall off the bone, do 30 minutes). If you use spare ribs, set time for 30-35 minutes.
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When finished cooking, natural release for 5 minutes, then quick release the air (be careful and cover your fingers with a kitchen towel).
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Preheat the broiler* with a rack placed about 6" (15 cm) away from the top heating element (in the center of the oven) for 5 minutes. When broiling, you don't control the temperature in the oven; instead, you control the distance between the broiler and the surface of the food. It's similar to using hotter and cooler zones on your grill. *Broiler setting: Low (450ºF/232ºC), Medium (500ºF/260ºC), and High (550ºF/288ºC). I usually use medium (6" away) or high (8" away).
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Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a wire rack. Transfer the ribs from the Instant Pot to the wire rack.
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Brush with the sauce on both sides of the ribs.
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Place into oven and broil until the sauce is caramelized, bubbly, and brown, about 3-4 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and brush more sauce on the ribs.
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Sprinkle sesame seeds and chopped green onion. Serve immediately with the remaining sauce.
The Asian rib sauce looks like a great glaze for my smoked ribs or Pork Belly burnt ends, Will let you know when I give it a try.
Hi Paul! Hope you enjoy the sauce! 🙂
What should i do if I don’t have instantpot
Hi Aing! I’m sorry but this particular recipe requires a pressure cooker (and mine is Instant Pot). You can do the slow cook method in the oven… but the whole purpose of this recipe is to get the ribs done quickly for weeknight meal using the pressure cooker. 🙂
Can you apply the same recipe/ingredients to short ribs? The only thing I worry about is the cooking time.
Hi Frantz! You can. The cooking time should be roughly the same. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
I have an All-Clad stovetop pressure cooker which I love. It has a steamer basket but no rack. Any suggestions? This recipe makes me hungry (then again, most of your recipes make me hungry!) 😉
Hi Lucia! Do you think you can buy something like this (https://amzn.to/2MpsBQN) so that when you put the liquid in your pressure cooker, the ribs won’t be touching the liquid? You basically need to raise the food so the liquid stay below the food. 🙂
Thank you for all of your amazing recipes, tutorials and hard work, Nami & Mr. JOC! The barbecue seasoning spoon is available far cheaper through Walmart: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Shaker-Pepper-Plastic-Multifunction-Cruet-BBQ-Salt-Accessories-Barbecue-1PC-Hollow-Jeobest-Seasoning-Kitchen-MZ-Blue-Spoon/710868040
I should mention that this recipe for Instant Pot Sticky Asian Ribs is perfection! Also, that seasoning spoon is out of stock at Walmart 🙁
I’m happy to hear you liked this recipe. Too bad that spoon is not available. Amazon should still have it. 🙂
Hi Robin! Thank you for following along! I’m so glad to hear you enjoy my recipes. Thanks for sharing the link!
Hi Nami, any other suggestions that I can use that is not baby back ribs?
Hi Su! What ingredient are you thinking of using it?
I made the Saba Shioyaki for my Asian parents and they loved it. I served ponzu on the side for dipping. I can’t believe how easy the recipe was. Thank you Nami-san
Hi Kota! Thank you for your kind feedback. I’m so glad that your parents enjoyed it! Thank you for trying the recipe! 🙂
This recipe is amazing. It was my first time making ribs at home and not only was the recipe easy, but it’s incredibly delicious. I could not believe that I had made something that tasted so good with so little work. Thank you!
Aww thanks Max! I’m glad to hear that! I really love making ribs in IP – super fast and fall off the bone! I’m so happy IP is my good friend in the kitchen. 😀
Hi Nami,
I am living in Tokyo and getting a rack of ribs locally is not possible (to my knowledge) – I can buy separate ribs though – will there be any impact (other than complexity in rubbing the dry rub on each individual rib) that you can forsee?
Thanks for your great recipes – I’m loving learning how to cook Japanese food while living in Japan!
Nicole
Hi Nicole! Ohhh yeah, you can’t find ribs unless you go to specialized stores. Yes, you can try with spare ribs. Adjust the cooking time based on the thickness of the meat. 🙂
Thanks for following my blog from Japan! It’s awesome that you’re cooking in Japan while you’re there! It’s the best way to learn! 🙂
Terrific easy-to-follow recipe! The ribs were well-seasoned and tender. The sauce provided a rich glaze. My Asian grocer suggested using Nanami Togarashi. I’m not sure how different this is from Shichimi Togarashi.
Hi Rob! Thank you so much for your kind feedback. Nanami Togarashi is same as Shichimi Togarashi. For the US marketing, they changed the name to Nanami instead of Shichimi because it’s hard to pronounce it. 🙂
o boy. i have boneless ribs. is this recipe going to work in the instant pot??
Hi Mari! Yes, you can use boneless ribs. 🙂
I keep forgetting to comment on this dish – I’ve made it twice and my hubby’s made it a habit to keep the leftover sauce to drizzle over his rice. Ribs taste great, definitely a keeper!
Hi Jean! Yay! I’m so happy to hear you and your husband enjoyed this dish! Thank you for your kind feedback. 🙂
I made this two times. The marinade is delicious, but I would probably add less soy sauce or more sugar next time (it was a bit salty). Also, both times, the marinade did not thicken on its own so I made a cornstarch slurry (equal parts cornstarch to water) and added it to the marinade while hot to thicken it.
Hi Eunice! Thank you so much for trying this recipe twice! I’m glad you found a way to adapt to your liking, and thanks so much! The sauce won’t become thick like BBQ sauce consistency, but it will reach to more like it covers the back of a spoon consistency. Hope this helps. 🙂
Hi Nami,
Made this tonight in my new Instant Pot and it turned out delicious! We loved it and my two year old kept asking for more of the sauce to be drizzled on her ribs. Thanks for sharing the recipe and for posting clear instruction for this Instant Pot newbie.
Hi Janice! Congrats on your new Instant Pot! I’m so glad your ribs came out delicious. Awww I’m happy to hear your daughter enjoyed it as well. It made me so happy! Hope you have fun cooking with IP this fall/winter!
Made this yesterday, and it was a hit! Very easy, except for having to babysit the sauce while it was reducing. I was wondering if you knew of a store-bought sauce that would be an acceptable substitute?
Hi Yi-Nan! Thank you so much for trying this recipe! I’m glad you enjoyed it! 🙂 I don’t use a store-bought sauce (but when I make American style ribs, I use Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ Sauce)… so for Asian taste, I’m not sure which one to suggest. Any sauce you already like? You can leave the sauce on simmer too (instead of babysitting). You only need to check toward the end (but make sure you are not using high heat). 🙂
So easy and SO GOOD. Thank you!
Hi Anny! Yay! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for trying my recipe! 🙂
This recipe is perfection! The meat was tender and falling off the bone. The sauce a perfect blend of sweet and salty, complex and flavorful. Will definitely make this again.
Hi Maureen! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for the kind feedback. 🙂
Looking forward to making this.
Vancouver, WA USA
While searching for Japanese cooking techniques.
I’d like to see more traditional Japanese recipes and cooking techniques.
Hi Skippy! I hope you enjoy this recipe!
You have to leave your comment (entry) on the giveaway page: https://www.justonecookbook.com/9-year-blog-anniversary/
Good luck!
Hi Nami – This recipe looks wonderful. I am planning on trying it but instead of using an instapot using my Mellow Sous Vide machine. I wanted to know about your use of the apple cider vinegar in the instapot. Does the instapot steam the vinegar through the ribs giving them a slightly tangy flavor? If so, what do you think about the idea of adding a small amount of apple cider vinegar (maybe 1 tbsp) to my ribs in the sealed bag?
Hi Jordanna! Apple cider vinegar helps the pork to be tender, so I’d use it and like you suggested, reduce the amount. 🙂 Since the instant pot is an enclosed cooking device, you don’t really lose the liquid (no steaming).
It’s amazing!!!!!!
How should I reheat the leftovers? (I overestimated my stomach) otherwise there would be no leftovers
Hi Chen Chen! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! You can reheat at 350F in the oven (wrap in foil) or microwave. 🙂
Do you think i cld use a rack of st. louis style ribs here?
tx!
Mare
Hi Mare! As long as it fits! 🙂
Hi Nami, this recipe looks amazing! Would it be possible to substitute with st. louis style ribs if we do not have baby back ribs?
Hi Jess! Yes, you can do that – I hope it fits! I think it’ll be okay. 🙂
Delicious! Falling off the bone. And so good paired with a tart slaw.
Hi Courtney! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for your kind feedback. 🙂
Great recipe! Is there anything to do with the leftover liquid from instant pot?
Hi Naoki! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! You can reuse the sauce for a glaze on something (meat, veggies, mushrooms?) but cook in the saucepan a little bit to make sure there is no bacteria growth (if you keep in the fridge etc). Use it soon. 🙂
wow these were amazing. great recipe. the meat was falling off the bone.
Hi Diana! Thank you! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe!
This recipe looks super easy and I can’t wait to try it!! Would the marinade still be okay without the mirin and sake?
Hi Ellie! They are quite important in Japanese cooking (to make it authentic). Please use dry sherry or Chinese rice wine for sake, and for Mirin, you can use ¼ cup dry sherry or Chinese rice wine and 4 tsp sugar. 🙂
Can I use beef back ribs?
Hi Mandy! Yes, you can. 🙂
My boyfriend and I make these at least once a month- that are FANTASTIC. Make these, you will not regret it!
Hi Krista! So happy to hear you and your boyfriend makes this recipe once a month! Thank you for your kind feedback! xo
Just made this for dinner last night; near perfection in the first attempt. The sauce wasn’t very thick though so next time I may up the heat level or keep on the flame a bit longer. But it coated the meat just fine when finishing under the broiler.
Hi RobotB! Thank you for trying this recipe and I’m glad to hear yours came out well. Thanks so much for your kind feedback. xo
Hi Nami, I couldn’t find any Shichimi Togarashi at the store and I didn’t find anything in your « substitute » section, would it affect the recipe significantly if I skip this ingredient or could I use chili powder instead?
Hi Amelie! You can use other spice you have to give some kick, but if you don’t care for heat, you can omit it. 🙂
I’ve made this recipe three times and am now making it for a birthday party! It’s delicious and consistently turns out perfectly. I love justonecookbook and I haven’t come across a recipe that I didn’t like.
Hi Courtney! I’m so happy to hear you enjoy this recipe! Thank you for your kind feedback too! xoxo
Making this recipe for the second time as it was so delicious and easy! Hands down the best recipe I’ve tried for ribs. And I’ve tried lots!
Hi Catherine! I’m so happy to hear that you enjoy this recipe so much! Yay! Thank you for your kind feedback. xo
WOW THIS IS ABSOLUTELY EXCEPTIONAL!!!! THE SAUCE WAS EXQUISITE, IT WAS LIKE HEAVEN IN MY MOUTH. HONESTLY, THIS FLAVOR CHANGED THE WAY I LOOK AT FOOD FOREVER. I CAN NEVER EAT RIBS OUT AGAIN. NEVER. I don’t normally leave reviews and definitely not in all caps, but it was absolutely delicious. We each ate a full rack and the leftovers for tomorrow. I did 25 min in my IP, then 5 min NPR. My NPR takes forever when I switch to venting, so it really stayed in there for close to 8 minutes (it was still falling off but stayed together just enough to plate, I wouldn’t do any more than that on a large IP). I did not have the Japanese -7 spice, so I substituted with this (red pepper flake, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, white pepper, black pepper). And the I peeled a mandarin and put the peels inside the IP with the ribs. I figured it was the best I could do to get the zing. I also cut out 1 tbsp of sugar because I don’t normally like them to be too sweet. I figured that with so much honey it would be just right. I also didn’t have a ginger root, so used 1 1/4 tbsp. We used TYKU sake for the sauce. For the honey, we used amber maple. I served this alongside Chinese fried rice in a hot stone bowl with a side of sake.
Hi Monique! You’re so kind, thank you so much for leaving your feedback here! I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe and thanks for trying it and sharing your tips! It sounds delicious!!
Made these twice and they’re amazing! Having friends over tomorrow night and will prepare two racks ahead of time.
What would you recommend serving with them as side dishes?
Hi Catherine! I’m so happy to hear that. Thank you so much!!! Something refreshing, and something carb. Here are my choices:
https://www.justonecookbook.com/japanese-macaroni-salad/
https://www.justonecookbook.com/pressure-cooker-potato-salad/
https://www.justonecookbook.com/asian-coleslaw/
https://www.justonecookbook.com/crab-salad-with-ponzu-mayonnaise-dressing/
Green salad with these dressings: https://www.justonecookbook.com/japanese-salad-dressings/
https://www.justonecookbook.com/wafu-dressing-japanese-salad-dressing/
https://www.justonecookbook.com/caesar-salad/
Worked out very well, and will repeat again. I didn’t have the mirin, but used regular rice wine instead. Also my sauce did not thicken as described, so I resorted to a spoonful of corn starch and water, mixed them, and poured into the boiling sauce. It thickened up well and stayed on the ribs when brushed on. I broiled for 4 mins, pulled them out and brushed again, and broiled some more for about two minutes. Had to watch this step closely so it didn’t burn.
Results were great. Thanks.
Hi Steven! Thanks so much for trying this recipe and sharing your cooking experience! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed this dish and thank you so much for your kind feedback. 🙂
I don’t have an instant pot and do have a slow cooker. I know that defeats the purpose of a quick meal, but could I still use this recipe in the slow cooker?
Hi Bonnie!
Yes! You may use this recipe in the slow cooker. Cook on high for 4 hours (or low for 8 hours).
I hope this helps! Enjoy!
I made the Asian sticky ribs in my instant pot and they were great. I had cook them 35 minutes because the ribs were still half frozen. They were falling off the bone. So good@ I served them with noodles, with some of the sauce on them.
Hi Doris,
Thank you so much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback. We’re happy to hear it turn out great and you enjoyed the Ribs.
Thank you for sharing your cooking experience/tips with us!
I would like to try this amazing recipe, but with spare ribs instead. If I’m using 1.5 lbs of spare ribs with the same amount of liquid (apple cider vinegar/water) , how should the pressure cooking time and natural release time be adjusted? Thank you.
Hi Wing! If you’re using spare ribs instead, cooking time should be 30-35 minutes (Step 3 in the cooking section). The natural release should still be 5 minutes, but after the first trial, adjust to 10 or 15 based on your preference (don’t change the cooking time). I hope this helps!
Thank you for your response. I ended up follow the original recipe and used baby back ribs. I have had ribs at many restaurants before; both my husband and I think this is the best recipe!!! Thank you so much!
Hi Wing!
We are so glad to hear you and your husband enjoyed this dish!
Thank you very much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback!!!☺️
Is it ok to omit just the Japanese 7 spice? I don’t have that on hand and I’m not familiar with this spice so a little hesitant to buy it just for this one recipe. (I’m a fairly new cook). Thanks!
Hi Megan,
Shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spice) is a mixture of red chili flakes, sansho pepper, sesame seeds, nori, shiso, dried orange peel, hemp poppy seeds. So if you omit this spice, it will make a difference in the flavor, but you can make this dish without it.
We hope this helps!
What a wonderful recipe! I made this tonight for dinner and everyone loved it. Thank you for the detailed instructions. I served the ribs with some homemade bao buns and some shredded cabbage and jicama, red and green onions!
Hi Billie,
Thank you very much for trying this recipe and for sharing your side dishes idea with us!
We are glad to hear everyone loved it!