Finger-lickin’! Steal this spare ribs recipe

Phil Lempert TODAY Food Editor • Profile • E-mail

In this special weekly feature, “Today” food editor Phil Lempert brings you recipes “stolen” (with permission) from notable restaurants across America. See how much money you can save — and fun you can have — by cooking these dishes at home!

THIS WEEK: Asian Spiced Pork Spare Ribs from Asia de Cuba at the Mondrian Hotel, West Hollywood, Calif.

One of Sunset Boulevard's hippest hotels, the Mondrian, is home to Asia de Cuba, a showcase for chef Joe Ojeda's Latino-Asian fusion dishes.

If you're cruising the Sunset Strip this summer, stop in for the real deal and enjoy the dining on their patio, which overlooks trendy West Hollywood and features enormously over-scaled terra cotta pots planted with fichus trees and flowering bougainvillea vines.

If you can’t make it, get a taste of this outstanding restaurant with our “stolen” recipe of the week, in which jalapeno meets lemongrass to provide a new take on pork spare ribs.

About the chef:
Joe Ojeda has been at Asia de Cuba since it opened six years ago, first as sous chef and exective sous chef, and now as executive chef.

Watching his stepfather cook in the kitchen of his family’s L.A. restaurant, Via Fettuccini on Melrose Avenue, Ojeda begun his culinary education in childhood.

“At a young age, I was hooked on the cuisine and culture,” says Joe. “Yucca, mojitos, platanos maduros, chimichurri sauce — I was brought up on this stuff.”

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Prior to joining Asia de Cuba in 1999, Ojeda was sous chef for the Universal Studios/MCA Catering Department, handling parties ranging from film premieres to events with, among others, Mercedes Benz and MTV. Some of these events involved serving up to 10,000 people.

Speaking of large, his cross-cultural dishes come in generous portions that are meant to be served “family style.” 

(PLEASE NOTE: Ingredient prices are estimates and based on national averages. Amounts listed are for one portion. Increase proportionately according to number of portions desired.)

Asian Spiced Pork Spare Ribs
($19 at Asia de Cuba; cook-at-home cost is $6.51.)

4 to 6 pork spare ribs ($3.25)
1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder ($0.05)
1 pinch salt ($0.01)
1 teaspoon Sechuan peppercorns ($0.09)
1/3 cup soybean oil ($0.68)
2 cups chicken broth ($1.27)

Asia De Cuba

Rub the spare ribs generously with the five-spice Chinese powder, salt and Sechuan peppercorns. (Chinese spices and many of the other ingredients in this recipe can be found in the Asian section of most supermarkets or at Asian specialty markets.)

Heat the soybean oil in a medium sauté pan on high. Sear the spare ribs in the oil until they are brown and sweet-smelling. Next, pour the chicken broth into the skillet with the liquid almost covering the ribs. Add more chicken broth if necessary.

Add a small amount of Chili-Soy BBQ sauce to the pan. (See recipe below.) Cover and simmer on low heat for two hours or until ribs are tender. When ribs are cooked, add the rest of the BBQ sauce to the ribs. Place ribs in the center of a plate, stacking them two by two on top of each other, and then pour on the sauce.

Chili-Soy BBQ Sauce
2 teaspoons fresh lemongrass, chopped ($0.26)
1/2 whole dried ancho chili ($0.17)
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, chopped ($0.09)
1/8 teaspoon fresh red jalapeno, finely chopped ($0.04)
1 teaspoon fresh garlic, chopped ($0.08)
1 teaspoon fresh shallots, chopped ($0.05)
1 tablespoon soybean oil ($0.21)
1 teaspoon soy sauce ($0.04)

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Puree all the fresh ingredients in a blender or food processor.

Heat the soybean oil in a medium sauté pan with all the sauce ingredients, except the soy sauce. Heat for at least 20 minutes or until mixture becomes aromatic.

Finally, add the soy sauce and bring up to a simmer, then remove from the heat.

Asia de Cuba
Mondrian Hotel
8440 Sunset Boulevard
West Hollywood, Calif.
323-848-6000
www.mondrianhotel.com

Want to nominate your favorite restaurant dish for a "Steal This Recipe" feature? Just e-mail Phil at (or use the mail box below) with the name of the restaurant, city and state, and the dish you would like to have re-created. Want to know more about Phil and food? Visit his Web site at www.supermarketguru.com.

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