Instant Pot Din Tai Fung Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs Recipe

February 4, 2021Van
Blog post

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 8 minutes

Serves: 4

Din Tai Fung came to my hometown years back and became one of my favorite restaurants. Everyone knows about their world famous Xiao Long Bao soup dumplings – and yes they are fantastic, but there are so many other amazing dishes on their menu. One in particular, a dish that completely overwhelmed my taste buds, their Sweet & Sour Pork Baby Back Ribs which is their take on a classic Shanghainese dish. The complexity is hard to describe, initially it’s a familiar sweet and sour sauce taste-but the subtle notes of orange shine brightly in the background finished with the slightest bitterness from the caramelized sugar. The dish is quite small – you only get about 6 riblets for $9! My family devours the appetizer in an instant—the true motivation for me to reverse engineer this culinary marvel. As they say—Necessity is the mother of invention. I present my copycat version for Din Tai Fung’s Sweet & Sour Pork Baby Back Ribs cooked in an Instant Pot Pressure Cooker

You’ll need Pork Riblets or Baby Back Ribs that are cross-cut in half so the ribs are about 1.5-2 inches long.Instant Pot Din Tai Fung Sweet & Sour Pork Baby Back Ribs Recipe

A few ingredients that may not be in your pantry, you can usually find these at any Asian MarketInstant Pot Din Tai Fung Sweet & Sour Pork Baby Back Ribs Recipe

Instant Pot Din Tai Fung Sweet & Sour Pork Baby Back Ribs Recipe

Instant Pot Din Tai Fung Sweet & Sour Pork Baby Back Ribs Recipe

Instant Pot Din Tai Fung Sweet & Sour Pork Baby Back Ribs Recipe

Instant Pot Din Tai Fung Sweet & Sour Pork Baby Back Ribs Recipe

Instant Pot Din Tai Fung Sweet & Sour Pork Baby Back Ribs Recipe

Print Recipe

Instant Pot Din Tai Fung Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs Recipe

  • Prep time: 20 minutes
  • Cook time: 8 minutes
  • Serves: 4

Pressure Cooker Recipe for Din Tai Fung's Sweet & Sour Pork Baby Back Ribs

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Ingredients

Method

  • 1)

    Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add the ribs and blanch for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse the ribs well.

  • 2)

    In a bowl, make the braising sauce by combining 3 Tablespoons Chinkiang Black Vinegar, 3 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar, ⅓ Cup Orange Juice, 2 Tablespoons Shaoxing Wine, 3 Tablespoons Light Soy Sauce, 2 Tablespoons Dark Soy Sauce and set aside.

  • 3)

    Place 6 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar into the the pot, choose Sauté on High and cook until the sugar melts and turns into a color like maple syrup, you don’t need to stir or touch it – watch it carefully so the sugar doesn’t burn. Add the Ribs, Sauce, Ginger Slices, Green Onions and hit Cancel to turn off Sauté mode.

  • 4)

    Seal the Instant Pot lid, choose High Pressure for 8 Minutes. When the timer is up, wait 18 minutes before switching the knob to venting – once the pin drops, open the lid.

  • 5)

    Choose Sauté on High to reduce the sauce, it will take about 10-15 minutes.  Remove the green onions and ginger slices and stir the ribs occasionally. Watch carefully at the end so the sauce doesn’t scorch. Once the sauce looks dark, viscous, and gives the ribs a shiny coating, it’s done (there should only be a little bit liquid left). Plate the ribs and garnish with Sesame Seeds. Enjoy!

Notes

 










10 Comments

  • April

    October 2, 2021 at 9:40 pm

    We made these tonight and they were amazing! The flavor wasn’t spot on, but I had to make a few substitutions, so I knew it would taste slightly different. Still delicious! Thanks for the recipe.

  • Patti

    November 22, 2021 at 12:34 pm

    I would like to make these for an appetizer for a holiday. Can these be made a day ahead? How would you reheat them?

    1. Van

      November 23, 2021 at 12:01 am

      Hello, yes you can make this a day before. Just reduce the sauce by half, put ribs + sauce into a container & when you want to serve, place into a pot & use med-high heat to continue to reduce the sauce until it’s thick & coats the ribs. Have a nice Thanksgiving!

  • Quynh

    December 2, 2021 at 5:46 am

    I tried this today and it was really good!! Ribs were just the right tenderness and sauce was spot on – I was afraid the vinegar would turn out too strong but they were all in harmony and really yummyy. The prep is so quick, I would definitely go for this recipe more often when we crave sticky ribs. Thank you for the great recipe <3

    1. Van

      December 2, 2021 at 5:49 am

      You’re welcome Quynh! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed it!

  • Dawn

    December 8, 2021 at 12:46 pm

    Would love to try these but the ribs I got are 1.97 lbs. Would keeping the same amount of liquid ingredients make it too salty? Amateur cook here, thanks for any advice!! 🙂

    1. Van

      December 8, 2021 at 1:10 pm

      Hi Dawn, just keep the same amount of ingredients & cooking time, it will turn out fine.

  • Mara

    April 24, 2023 at 10:43 pm

    Good recipe! So much easier than stove top versions!

  • Cathy

    April 20, 2024 at 12:20 pm

    The sauce was very runny, and I could not get it to the glaze quality. I even put cornstarch slurry Inn At twice, and it still wasn’t the texture of a glaze. Any comments or ideas?

    1. Van

      May 12, 2024 at 5:47 pm

      Hi Cathy, if the sauce is runny, you didn’t reduce it long enough. It becomes syrupy once most of the liquid has evaporated

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