Serves 4 | Difficulty: Easy
Step into the cozy and warm embrace of grandma’s kitchen with these two classic pork rib and daikon recipes.
Pork rib and daikon recipes are timeless classics you’ll discover in nearly every Chinese home kitchen when the colder months roll in or if you’re feeling a bit under the weather.
Instead of bold flavors, these dishes lean towards the milder side, offering that familiar warmth reminiscent of mom’s and grandma’s home cooking.
Did I mention they’re super easy too? It’s a one-pot situation, and to make it even more hands-off, we’re transforming them into Instant Pot recipes!
You can go old-school and prepare it on the stovetop. I’ve included specific adjustments in each Meal’s section to guide you through the traditional cooking method.
Most Asian grocery stores sell porks ribs that are cross-cut by default. Instead of a large rib bone, it’s usually cut into thirds. If you’re unable to find it, that’s fine! No changes needs to be made to recipe cook or prep time. The meat will be fall-off-the-bone anyway so you can still break them down into bite-sized pieces when you’re eating.
In the photo above, I used regular baby back ribs I found at Costco for the stew recipe and it worked out just fine!
Skip out on the Napa Cabbage stir-fry and the pork ribs dishes turn into 2 servings. But with soups and stews, they just taste even better the next day. So, making them as the recipe says and having leftovers won’t hurt!
Check out my Getting Started guide to learn how to use this meal plan.
Blanching vegetables serves 2 purposes: (1) It prevents loss of flavor, color, and texture—extending the “life” of the vegetable throughout the week, and (2) it gives us a head start in the cooking process for stir-fries. Stir-frying generally only takes 5 minutes. If you start from raw, some pieces won’t cook as evenly as others (especially hardy vegetables like broccoli). Blanching pre-cooks each piece of veggie so you will have a consistent tasting stir-fry every time. This is a well-known technique used in many Chinese restaurants!
Here’s how:
Store in an air-tight container in the fridge to keep maximum freshness. Use them within 7-10 days. If you suspect it has gone bad – the color has changed (e.g. turns brown), there is visible mold, the texture is mushy – toss them. Always err on the side of caution to avoid food poisoning.
Store in meal prep containers or in the bags they come with in the crisper drawer. If a vegetable has a high-water content and tends to go limp quick, wrap it with a paper towel before storing it in the fridge. The paper towel absorbs excess liquid that will prevent it from wilting or turning mushy.
As a general guideline, try to use seafood within 2 days of purchase. For this reason, I always place recipes with seafood earlier in the Meal Plan Menu. Meat can typically last 4-5 days. If you won’t be using meat and seafood, best to freeze them right away. Vacuum seal before freezing to prevent freezer burn.
Properly frozen foods are good for up to 6 months before their flavor and texture start to lessen.
If you do not have a vacuum sealer, wrap fish and meat tightly with saran wrap, then wrap tightly with aluminum foil. Store in a Ziploc bag, squeezing as much air out as possible. Date them and pop them in the freezer for later use.
When thawing vacuum sealed food, especially fish, puncture a hole or cut a slit in the bag to prevent the risk of botulism. Botulism thrives in low oxygen environment, which is what vacuum sealing does. (Note: when botulism grows, the smell and texture of the fish will not change, but the toxins it produces can be deadly.)
Use different cutting boards for your proteins and veggies. Always wash and disinfect knives when switching from meat to veggies to prevent cross-contamination. It goes without saying that you should clean your produce before consumption and preparation.
During prep, always start with food cooked at the lowest temperature first, working your way up. For example, chopped scallions are often used as garnish and will be consumed raw, so chop them before potatoes (which you will cook so the risk is lower). Likewise, you would prepare salad greens first.
The same principle applies when keeping them in the fridge. Don’t stack raw chicken above fish – any juices from the chicken that trickle into the fish would pose a risk. Should the chicken be contaminated with salmonella, the time and temperature at which you would cook fish to perfection is not enough to kill the bacteria.
Pair this meal with steamed white rice and Napa Cabbage Stir-Fry.
Use the instructions in the recipe card as a guide with the following modifications:
Pair this meal with steamed white rice and Napa Cabbage Stir-Fry.
Use the instructions in the recipe card as a guide with the following modifications:
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| ingredient | quantity | unit | category | notes | list type | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| dried shrimp | 2 | Tbsp | misc. dry goods | pantry | ||
| goji berries | 2 | Tbsp | misc. dry goods | pantry | ||
| dark soy sauce | 1.5 | Tbsp | condiments and spices | pantry | ||
| fish sauce | 1 | tsp | condiments and spices | pantry | ||
| rock sugar | 25 | g | condiments and spices | pantry | ||
| shaoxing wine | 0.25 | cup | condiments and spices | pantry | ||
| soy sauce | 3 | Tbsp | condiments and spices | pantry | ||
| star anise | 2 | piece | condiments and spices | pantry | ||
| stir-fry sauce | 0.5 | cup | condiments and spices | homemade (oyster sauce, soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil) | pantry | |
| daikon | 2 | lb | produce | shopping | ||
| garlic | 4 | clove | produce | shopping | ||
| ginger | 7 | slice | produce | shopping | ||
| napa cabbage | 2 | lb | produce | shopping | ||
| scallion | 4 | stalk | produce | shopping | ||
| cross-cut pork rib | 3 | lb | meat and seafood | shopping | ||
| red fermented bean curd | 2 | piece | canned or jarred | substitute 1 tbsp hoisin or oyster sauce | shopping |
I’m a foodie with a simple philosophy: why should amazing food be reserved for the weekends alone? I’m all about making every meal delicious because, let’s face it, we only have so many meals in our lifetime.
My mission? To take the stress out of cooking with easy-to-use meal plans so you can enjoy mouthwatering recipes any day of week. Join me on this tasty journey and let’s savor “more taste, less waste” in every bite!
I’m a foodie with a simple philosophy: why should amazing food be reserved for the weekends alone? I’m all about making every meal delicious because, let’s face it, we only have so many meals in our lifetime.
My mission? To take the stress out of cooking with easy-to-use meal plans so you can enjoy mouthwatering recipes any day of week. Join me on this tasty journey and let’s savor “more taste, less waste” in every bite!
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