Sweet and sour pork ribs with pineapple: melt-in-the-mouth meat and Thai flavours

Sweet and sour pork ribs with pineapple, a classic from Central Thai cuisine.

The perfect balance of Thai sweet and sour

This recipe combines tender, slow-cooked pork ribs with a fragrant sweet and sour sauce made from fresh pineapple. Typical of Central Thai cuisine, it’s a dish where the tanginess of lime and the sweetness of coconut sugar meet the depth of fish and oyster sauces. The result is melt-in-the-mouth meat, perfectly coated with a glossy, aromatic sauce, a great example of how Thai cuisine balances flavour and texture in harmony.

Recipe for Sweet and sour pork ribs with pineapple - Serves 2

Ingredients

12 baby back ribs

1 tablespoon oil

½ teaspoon salt

Sweet and sour sauce:

1 tablespoon oil

30 g yellow onion, diced 

15 g garlic, chopped

100 g pineapple, diced 

120 g tomatoes, diced

4 tablespoons water 

2 tablespoons lime juice 

2 tablespoons oyster sauce 

1 tablespoon fish sauce 

1 tablespoon coconut sugar

2 fresh bird's eye chillies, sliced

Garnish:

A few coriander leaves

Preparation

1. Remove the ribs from the refrigerator and leave at room temperature for at least ten minutes. Heat the oil over a high heat and stir-fry the ribs until they are golden brown. 

2. Add salt. Cover and cook over a very low heat for about forty minutes. Degrease.

3. Heat oil and stir-fry onion and garlic until lightly browned. Add the rest of the sweet and sour sauce ingredients and mix well. Cook for about five minutes over a low heat. Taste to adjust seasoning. 

4. Add the ribs to the sweet and sour sauce and cook for about two more minutes or until the sauce is well reduced.

Serve with jasmine rice and garnish with coriander leaves.

Tips for best results

For extra tenderness, simmer the ribs longer over low heat until they almost fall off the bone. If you prefer a fruitier flavour, increase the pineapple slightly and reduce the lime juice.

Love Thai cuisine?

Learn to prepare this and many other traditional dishes during our private Thai cooking classes on Koh Samui. Explore all our courses on the Thai cooking classes on Koh Samui page.

Would you like to learn more about the cuisine of the Central Plains?

Read our article dedicated to the Central Plains, the beating heart of Thai gastronomy, shaped by agricultural abundance, foreign influences and the birth of royal cuisine.

Find this recipe in our cookbook

This recipe is featured in our Meat, Fish and Chilli Sauce e-book, which includes 50 authentic Thai recipes, from slow-braised meats to spicy dipping sauces. Available on our website and Pinterest.

Meat, fish and chilli sauce

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