Pork ribs braised slowly in soy, rice wine and plenty of sugar until they're falling-tender and coated in a dark, sticky, sweet glaze.
What makes it wuxi spare ribs
Meaty pork ribs, braised long and slow.
Sweet first — rock sugar or plenty of white — then savoury.
Reduced at the end to a thick, dark glaze.
Where it comes from
Wuxi's cooking is the sweetest in a sweet-leaning province, and its ribs are the best known of it. They're often traced to the late Qing, sold from shops in the city, and they're a common souvenir, packed in boxes to take home.
Red yeast rice is sometimes added for the reddish colour; others get it from the soy and sugar alone.