“This sweet and savory falling-off-the-bone meat is true comfort food for me,” writes Dalia Dogmoch Soubra in From Beder’s Kitchen, a new charity cookbook project. “My Syrian mother used a lot of pomegranate in her cooking, but I love Korean flavors, so this recipe is a bit of both worlds.”
Preparation time: 20 minutes, plus marinating overnight | Cooking time: 4 hours | Serves 4-6
For the ribs
70ml pomegranate molasses
4 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp honey
4 cloves of garlic, minced (1 tbsp)
6 short ribs with bones (about 1.4-1.8kg)
Salt and pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
650ml beef stock
For the glaze and garnish
2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
1-2 tsp soy sauce
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
1 tbsp pomegranate seeds
The ribs
In a large bowl or ziplock bag, combine the pomegranate molasses, soy sauce, sugar, honey and garlic. Add the short ribs, toss to coat and place in the fridge overnight.
Preheat the oven to 160°C and remove the marinated short ribs from the fridge. Season with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a cast iron pot or ovenproof dish, big enough to hold the short ribs in a single layer, over a medium-high heat.
Brown the ribs on all sides, approximately 3 to 4 minutes per side. Add enough stock to just cover the ribs and bring to a simmer. Cover the pot and place it in the preheated oven.
Leave the ribs to braise, checking them after 45 minutes to make sure that they are still submerged in stock, adding more if needed.
Turn the ribs and continue cooking until the meat is meltingly tender and almost falling off the bone, a total time of 3 to and a half hours.
Once they are ready, remove the ribs from the cooking liquid and place them on a serving plate.
The glaze and garnish
Make the glaze by whisking the pomegranate molasses and soy sauce into the cooking liquid left in the pot.
Pour this over the ribs, sprinkle them with the sesame and pomegranate seeds then serve with plain rice or noodles on the side.
