Coconut Grits With Vietnamese Short Ribs Recipes

SHORT RIBS SLOW-ROASTED IN COCONUT MILK RECIPE

Steps:

• Place a rack in middle of the oven; preheat to 250°F. Spread out coconut flakes on a rimmed baking sheet and toast until golden, 10-15 minutes. Let cool.
• Meanwhile, season beef generously with salt and set aside. Trim top three-quarters from lemongrass stalks and place top portions in a large cast-iron skillet or heavy roasting pan. Peel outer layers from root end and finely grate into a blender. Add shallot, garlic, chiles, ginger, coconut milk, and curry powder; purée until smooth.
• Arrange short ribs, bone side up, in skillet; pour purée over. Roast until meat is halfway to tender and liquid is reduced by two-thirds (it will look slightly oily and broken, and this is exactly what you want), 3-3 1/2 hours. Turn ribs onto their sides and continue to roast, adding water by 1/4-cupfuls if liquid in skillet looks in danger of burning or getting very dark, until meat is fork-tender and liquid is a jammy glaze, 2-2 1/2 hours longer.
• Toss coconut, cilantro, lime juice, and a pinch of salt in a small bowl. Top short ribs with gremolata and serve with rice.

VIETNAMESE BRAISED PORK RIBS

Steps:

• Make the marinade: In a small bowl, put the shallots, lemongrass, soy sauce, fish sauce, chile paste, salt, sugar, five-spice powder, garlic and ginger. Mix well.
• Put the meat in a deep baking dish or roasting pan and add marinade. Using your hands, coat ribs well. Let marinate, refrigerated, for at least 2 hours and preferably overnight, well wrapped. Bring back to room temperature before proceeding.
• Heat oven to 450 degrees. Add 2 cups water to the pan, cover tightly with foil and place pan in oven. Cook for 30 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees for 1 hour more. When done, the meat should be very tender, nearly but not quite falling off the bone. Remove cover and return to the oven for about 15 minutes until the ribs are nicely browned.
• Remove ribs from pan. Pour pan juices into a saucepan and skim fat. Reduce over high heat until somewhat thickened, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, divide ribs with a sharp knife and pile them onto a platter.
• Serve family style with steamed rice and pan juices. Garnish with scallions, cilantro and mint sprigs.

COCONUT-CURRY SHORT RIBS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 275°F In a blender, combine curry paste, ginger, scallions, garlic and water. Process until smooth and set aside.
• In a large Dutch oven, heat vegetable oil over high heat. Season short ribs well with salt and pepper. Whent the oil is smoking, add meat and sear until browned, about 4 minutes on each side.
• Pour off and discard oil. Add chicken stock, lemon grass and curry puree to the pot. Bring to a simmer, then cover and move to oven. Cook until short ribs can be easily pulled apart with a fork, 3-4 hours.
• Remove meat to a plate. Skim and discard fat from surface of liquid; removed and discard lemongrass. Shred meat with two forks into large (two bite) pieces and return to soup. Place over medium-low heat and add coconut milk, brown sugar, jalapeno, cilantro and lime juice (if you are planning to store any of the leftovers for more than a couple of hours, leave out the lime juice and pass lime wedges at the table). Recover and cook until hot but not boiling, about 5 minutes. Serve with white rice.