Man has been eating ribs since the time that fire was invented – then, quite probably,  because it was the easiest way to eat them but today ribs have developed into an addictive comfort food that’s grown into a mega billion dollar industry.  Everyone loves ribs – be they salted lamb ribs, curried beef ribs or sticky, juicy pork ribs  - it doesn’t really matter as long as they’re ribs and as long as they’re hot.  They’re easy to make at home so try this recipe and fill  your kitchen with the warm fragrant aniseed aroma so often found in Chinese restaurants. Make sure you buy really good quality meat – the rest will be a breeze.

Ingredients

• 1,5 kg meaty pork ribs
• 1 large lemon, grated zest only
• 12 tbsp honey
• 6 heaped tbsp oyster sauce
• 8 cloves garlic, crushed and finely chopped
• 2 tsp dried chilli flakes
• 10 whole star anise
• 2 tsp ground green cardamom seeds
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method

• Mix the honey, the oyster sauce, the garlic, the chilli, the lemon zest, the cardamom, the star anise, the salt and the pepper well and pour into a large Ziploc bag or a square dish and mix the ribs thoroughly with the marinade, making sure that everything is covered in it.
• Place in the fridge overnight.
• Pre-heat oven to 180 C
• Roast for 1 ½  hours in a large roasting tin, turning them in their sauce occasionally.
• Keep an eye on them because they have a tendency to burn easily.
• As soon as the meat is tender, sticky and glistening with sauce (but far from falling off the bone) they are ready.
• Serve hot.