Singapore’s coffee pork ribs are one to get your energy levels up.

Singapore’s cze char scene is one flavour burst. Cze char can best be described as places where mix mash of speciality comfort foods are cooked to order and eaten in a communal setting.

Visitors can expect to be encountered with unique flavour combinations make up comforting dishes, like coffee and pork. It may seem like a weird, if not an odd pairing of tastes. Still, somehow popular Singaporean cze char restaurant and Michelin Guide Singapore 2019 favourite Keng Eng Kee has turned it into a popular hit on the taste buds with locals.

Bring Singapore’s mouth-watering cze char scene into the home with this coffee pork ribs recipe prepared by Keng Eng Kee.

Coffee pork ribs recipe – serves 4

Ingredients

Pork lion:

600g pork loin 

200g water

1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

1/2 teaspoon of five spice powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons oyster sauce 

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1 egg

4 tablespoons of cornflour

1/2 teaspoon custard powder 

A pinch of white pepper 

1 teaspoon roasted sesame seeds 

Coffee sauce:

600mL water

200g sugar

50g honey 

80g coffee powder

90g coffee essence

150g tomato sauce

Instructions

Coffee Sauce: 

Boil the water.

Stir in the sugar and honey.

Add in the tomato sauce, coffee powder and coffee essence. 

Keep it at a simmer for 45 minutes.

After simmering, let it cool down and then refrigerate for one day.

Pork Loin:

Sliced the pork loin in thickness of 2cm, use a meat tenderiser to pound the pork loin evenly.

Place the pork loin into a bowl, add the water and baking powder to begin marinating the meat.

Add in the five spice powder, salt, oyster sauce, white pepper and sesame oil, and continue to marinate.

Add in the egg, followed by the cornflour and then refrigerate for one day.

Cooking

Heat up the cooking oil until it is at boiling point and place the marinated pork loins into the pan. 

Fry the pork until it turns golden brown, then take out the meat before placing it aside. 

Heat up the pan or wok and coat it with vegetable oil. Once the pan is hot ensure there is about 20ml of oil left.  

Pour in the coffee sauce and stir until bubbles are formed, once the sauce begins to bubble lower the heat. 

Put in the fried pork loin and allow the coffee sauce to be coated around it. 

Take the coffee pork out, and finish it with sprinkle of roasted sesame seeds. 

Gather your mates and enjoy your plate of Singapore’s coffee pork ribs!

Feature image: Singapore Tourism Board

Related reads: MasterChef’s ‘Dumpling King’ Brendan Pang Shares Lip-Smacking Wonton Recipe

See more: Food