Sie Krong Moo Op (Baked Pork Ribs)

ซี่โครงหมูอบ

In Thailand, "op" (อบ) means baked or roasted, but most home versions of sie krong moo op never see an oven. The ribs go into a pot with a dark, sweet-savoury mixture of honey, soy, oyster sauce, garlic and coriander root, and simmer until the liquid cooks down into a lacquer that coats every rib.

It is winter food — Thairath's food column describes it as the dish mothers make on grey days — and it translates perfectly to the UK: cheap cut, one pot, no technique, and a result that looks far more expensive than it is.

The Recipe (serves 4 · ~1 hr 30 min)

Allergens: soy, gluten · Suitable for: dairy-free

For the ribs

The Method

1. Marinate. Put everything except the water into a wide pot and massage it into the ribs. Leave for at least 20 minutes.
2. Simmer until tender. Add the water, bring to the boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer. Cook uncovered for about an hour, turning the ribs now and then, until the meat is tender and the liquid has reduced to a sticky glaze.
3. Glaze and serve. Turn the heat up for the last five minutes and keep spooning the glaze over the ribs until they turn glossy and dark. Serve hot with steamed rice, or as a sharing starter with a bowl for the bones.

The glaze, not the grill

What makes this dish is the end-stage reduction. Once the water is gone, the sugars left in the pot — honey, brown sugar, the caramel in the dark soy — coat the ribs and set into a sticky shine. This is why the recipe insists on staying with the pot for the last few minutes: a burned glaze is bitter and unrecoverable.

Which style?

Thai sources split into two camps. The honey version (nam pueng) is the classic; the red sauce version (nam daeng), made with ketchup and chilli sauce, is the street-stall version. Both are below — same method, different glaze.

Serving

• Rice: Steamed jasmine rice to catch the glaze
• Extra: Cucumber and a wedge of lime cut the sweetness

Cook's Tips

• The glaze burns easily once the water is gone — stay with it for the final reduction.
• If you do want to use the oven, marinate as above, then bake at 180°C for 40–50 minutes, basting every ten.
• Flour in the marinade is the Thai trick that keeps the sauce clinging to the meat instead of pooling on the plate.

Variations

• Red sauce ribs (sue krong op nam daeng). Swap the honey glaze for a ketchup, chilli sauce and oyster sauce mix — bright red, sweet-tart, a classic street-stall version.
• Deep-fried ribs (si khrong moo tod). The same cut marinated and fried crisp — see our separate recipe.

Sources

This recipe is translated from the following Thai-language sources. Where they disagree, we've said so.