In Vietnam, this dish is barbecued over charcoal, but in the West it can successfully be roasted in the oven. It is always served on a bed of plain boiled rice, as a one-dish meal.

Ingredients:

5
2
2 tbsp
4 tbsp
1/4 tsp
750 g/ 11/2 lb


To serve:

shallots, peeled
garlic cloves, peeled
sugar
fish sauce
freshly ground black pepper
pork spareribs


plain boiled rice
Nuoc Cham
few cucumber slices

Method:

1. Pound the shallots, garlic and sugar to a paste, using a pestle and mortar. Add the fish sauce and black pepper and stir well. Place the spareribs in a roasting pan and pour the pounded mixture over them. Turn to coat thoroughly. Leave to marinate for at least 1 hour.

2. Roast in a preheated moderate oven (180C/350F, Gas Mark 4) for 45 minutes until the spareribs are well browned. Cut the ribs into separate pieces.

3. Put the rice in a serving dish, arrange the spareribs on top and sprinkle with a little Nuoc Cham. Arrange cucumber slices around the edge of the dish. Serve hot, with a bowl of Nuoc Cham handed separately.

SERVES 4