The Story follows…. “My earliest recollections of Chinese food center around a small restaurant in my home town. Exotic windows with dragons and pork ribs in gummy number 2 red dye sweet and sour sauce constitute the total sum of my memories. The sticky sweet ribs were delicious at least to an unknowing 8 year old of 50 years ago. Evidently my mother wasn’t of the same opinion. She happened to make the acquaintance of a kindly Chinese lady who generously shared her favourite recipe for sweet and sour spareribs. She said the recipe came from her mother’s old recipe notebook. One of her most prized possessions. Mother made the ribs often.” Maggie Durston, New York.
Note: Use only spare-ribs or belly strips of pork. 
Serves: 4 – 6
Serves: 4 – 6
This recipe is from the book “A taste From The Past – Good Old Food” – By Irena Chalmers.
Ingredients:
1.3 – 1.5kg Pork spareribs (meaty), each rib separated into 2 pieces
50ml good Scotch whiskey
60ml thick dark soya sauce
90ml brown vinegar
60ml caramel sugar, brown
125ml water
Method:
Add all ingredients except the pork, to a heavy bottomed saucepan. Over low heat without boiling, dissolve sugar completely. Once dissolved, bring to a rapid boil. Drop in the ribs and toss gently to coat all pieces. Lower heat and simmer on medium. Place lid tightly on pan and braise slowly for 30-35 minutes. Remove ribs from sauce and set aside. Increase the heat to high, whilst continuously stirring vigorously to stop it from bubbling up and spluttering, until sauce is reduced to a thick gravy like consistency. Do not allow sauce to burn or to become like toffee and remove it off the heat, as soon as it is thick enough to coat the ribs. Watch it carefully! As soon as gravy is ready and before it gets a chance to cool down, toss in spareribs, and turn them in the gravy to coat well. Serve with steamed or stir-fried Chinese rice, some Egg Foo Yung and stir-fried Chinese vegetables.. See recipes below
Fried Rice
Note: Chinese rice is day old rice that has been cooked “firm” and left to dry out in a sieve or colander overnight in the refrigerator. The following day it is stir-fried.
Ingredients:
1 – 2 cups uncooked white Tastic Rice
2 Tbsp oil
1 chicken stock cube
3 – 4 cups hot water
1 Tbsp of Soya Sauce is optional (I don’t add)
Method:
Fry rice in 2 Tbsp (30 ml) oil until it turns white. Dissolve chicken stock cube in hot water and add to rice. Boil until it cooks dry. You may add just a dash Soya if you wish, but careful not to overdo it.
Stir – Fry Veg & Egg Foo-Yung
Note: I just chop all my veg excluding cabbage in food processor
Ingredients:
8-10 eggs, beaten (Do not add any milk to your egg mixture)
Chopped mushrooms
Carrots, diagonally chopped Chinese style
Shredded cabbage
Spring onions, chop diagonally Chinese style
Green pepper, chopped diagonally
Onion, chopped
Peas
Method:
Beat up your eggs with an electric blender until well blended. Add some oil to wok (just enough) Turn up gas flame to high adding your veggies excluding the peas & stir-fry quick quick until crispy & almost cooked. Add your peas & quickly pour on your beaten eggs. (Pancake must not be too thick but just thick enough to contain & hold together your veg) Flip over & brown the underside. Turn out onto serving plate & repeat until all the egg is used up. Toss the leftover veggies into your Chinese rice together with just a bit of the chopped up egg foo-young…the rest of egg foo-young to be served on side. Serve!
Still to get the balance/amounts/measures of veg & egg mixture drafted up… So I’ve just given the balances straight off my head.
I just eyeball the veggies – Stir-fry until cooked but still crisp in texture. I just throw all veggies in with frozen peas last, some salt and pepper to taste. Do not add any water to your eggs at all!
Beat up your eggs with some salt and white pepper to taste – NO WATER AT ALL!! – Pour over veggies and with spatula pull up sides of wok to cook so egg can set all around veg. Flip to cook other side when done.
When done break up to mix in with Chinese rice if wish.