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SEPTEMBER 23, 2013

MEET THE SOUS CHEF


William Hereford
TITUS WANG, EXECUTIVE SOUS CHEF, DELICATESSEN

Titus Wang got his kitchen start as an intern at New York City's Annisa, where the Taiwan-born chef, who moved to New Jersey when he was 13, learned to marry classic French technique with many of the ingredients he ate as a kid.

At Delicatessen in Manhattan, where he's now the executive sous chef, he applies that same training to the casual comfort food the restaurant serves. His recipe for sweet-and-sour pork ribs is a prime example of his cooking philosophy. The ribs are battered, flash-fried and finally doused in a sticky sauce containing pineapple, ketchup and soy sauce. They're--dare we say it--finger-licking good.

  • , Wang spent eight years at Annisa, where he climbed the ranks from intern to sous chef. "Anita [Lo] was an awesome teacher. I learned all of my technique from her, and was exposed to a global pantry. It was invaluable."'>
  • ." See how he uses these staples in the recipe for stir-fried noodles with chicken, ginger and basil he shared with us in a previous installment of Sous Chef Series.'>

William Hereford
MAKE THE

YIELD

4 servings

TIME

Prep: 30 minutes

Cook: 25 minutes

Total: 55 minutes

INGREDIENTS

Pork Ribs

Soy sauce, 2 tablespoons

Large egg, 1 (lightly beaten)

Cornstarch, ½ cup

Pork spareribs, 2 pounds separated into individual ribs (about 12 ribs)

Canola oil, 2 cups

Kosher salt, 1½ teaspoons

Freshly ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon

Sauce

Canned pineapple chunks with juice, one 8-ounce can pineapple chunks with juice (strain and save ¾ cup pineapple chunks plus ½ cup of the juice--save the remaining pineapple and juice to use another time)

Distilled white vinegar, ¼ cup

Granulated sugar, ¼ cup

Ketchup, ¼ cup

Soy sauce, 2 tablespoons

Cornstarch, 1½ tablespoons

Vegetables

Canola oil, 3 tablespoons

Medium garlic cloves, 3 (very finely chopped)

Ginger, ½-inch piece (peeled using the edge of a teaspoon to scrape off the skin and very finely chopped)

Scallions, 3, white separated from green tops (very finely chopped)

Small yellow onion, 1 (finely chopped*)

Red bell pepper, 1 (finely chopped*)

Green bell pepper, 1 (finely chopped*)

*We recommend using the for finely chopping the vegetables

DIRECTIONS

1. Season the pork ribs: In a medium bowl, whisk together the:

  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • Beaten egg

Then whisk in the:

  • ½ cup cornstarch

Add the:

  • Spareribs

Use tongs to turn the spareribs over in the sauce to evenly coat both sides.

2. To a large skillet set over medium-high heat, add the:

  • 2 cups canola oil

Once the oil shimmers, after about 2½ minutes, carefully add:

  • Half of the seasoned spareribs

Fry until they are golden and crispy on both sides, using tongs to turn occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Transfer the ribs to a large paper-towel-lined plate and repeat with the:

  • Remaining 6 spareribs

Season with the:

  • 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3. Make the sweet-and-sour sauce: In a medium bowl, whisk together the:

  • ½ cup pineapple juice
  • ¼ cup white vinegar
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • ¼ cup ketchup
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1½ tablespoons cornstarch

4. Finish the dish: To a large, clean skillet set over medium heat, add the:

  • 3 tablespoons canola oil

When it starts to shimmer, after about 1½ minutes, add the:

  • Very finely chopped garlic
  • Very finely chopped ginger
  • Very finely chopped scallion whites

Cook until well browned, about 1 minute. Add the:

  • Finely chopped onion
  • Finely chopped red bell pepper
  • Finely chopped green bell pepper

Cook until the onions become lightly golden and translucent, about 4 minutes. Then stir in the:

  • ¾ cup pineapple chunks    

Cook to warm the pineapple, about 1 minute. Add the:

  • Sweet-and-sour sauce

Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer for 2 minutes, until the flavors are well combined. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, if necessary. Add the:

  • Fried pork ribs
  • Very finely chopped scallion greens

Turn to coat the ribs in the sweet-and-sour sauce and serve.

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STEP BY STEP

TIPS & TECHNIQUES

Fry One On

Wang's pork ribs are first dredged in an egg-and-cornstarch mixture and then flash-fried until golden-brown. The cornstarch gives the fried ribs a particularly crispy exterior.

Chop Talk

Speed up the preparation of the ribs by chopping the onion and bell peppers for the sauce in a food processor, like the

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