MARY STADNYK and CHINESE FOOD

When Mom was in her nineties, she was put on a restricted diet.  “But food is my hobby,” she protested.

                The restricted diet soon went the way of the dodo.

                Chinese cuisine was one of Mom’s favourites dating back to the late 1920s when she worked in a Chinese restaurant before she was married.  

                 In the 1960s, Mom found a recipe for spareribs that earned high praise from my father.  “Not bad,” he said.

Since there would be no UkrainiYum without my mother and her passion for good food, here is her recipe.

 MARY STADNYK’S SWEET and SOUR RIBS

2 pounds pork spareribs

3 tbsp flour

1 tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

2 tbsp oil

1 ½ cups water

½ cup brown sugar (not packed)

1/3 cup ketchup

1 tbsp soya sauce

1/3 cup vinegar.

1. Cut ribs in pieces.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. Mix together water, sugar, vinegar, ketchup, and soya sauce.  Set aside.
4. Mix salt and pepper with the flour.
5. Shake the ribs with the seasoned flour in a plastic bag to coat them lightly.
6.  Brown ribs quickly in hot oil.
7. Pour sauce mixture over ribs.
8. Cover and bake in oven for 1 and ½ hours.
9. Serve with plain rice.  There will be lots of sauce.

And Mom loved Chinese Dim Sum . . . hey, chicken feet  . . . now you see the connection?

We even held Mom’s ninetieth birthday party in our favourite Chinese restaurant.