Sweet Soy Marinated Short Ribs

I've received two recipes for short ribs in the past couple weeks (from my mom and Euge) and gave my mom's recipe a try last weekend. It's super quick and easy, and, of course, delicious. I almost venture to say that they were almost as good as my mom makes. Don't worry, Euge - I'll try your friend's recipe soon too, and maybe even make both at the same time at some point so there can be a rib-off!

The trickiest part of making short ribs is getting the short ribs. First of all, they don't usually sell short ribs unless maybe if you go to an asian supermarket - in regular supermarkets you usually only find "long" ribs (~6"), and then you have to have them cut into short ribs (~2"). The tricky thing is, most meat counters close around 7 or 8PM, and by close at 8, they mean the butcher leaves at 7, and by leaves at 7, they mean you're out of luck whenever the butcher shuts off and cleans the equipment, which is usually around 6. It's probably also a good idea to go to a store where they sell ribs by the pound as opposed to pre-packaged from third parties, because I'm not sure if they'll cut packages (I decided not to risk another disappointment and went to a place where they sold ribs by the pound, i.e. Andronico's as opposed to Safeway); you'll also get better choice and can get exactly the amount you need.

So now that you've got the short ribs taken care of, what do you do to them?

For 1.5 lbs short ribs (~5 servings),

Marinade:
1/4 C soy sauce
3 Tbsp vinegar
1 Tbsp ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 Tbsp garlic, flattened, peeled and coarsely chopped
1-2 tsp ground pepper
1/2 tsp salt

Combine ribs with marinade in a large airtight ziploc bag and let marinate ~ 1 hr, turning the bag a few times to coat evenly.

1 Tbsp oil
1/3 C brown sugar
1 Tbsp cornstarch, mixed with 2 Tbsp water
1-2 Tbsp scallions, chopped

1. Heat oil in a large skillet or wok and add ribs, reserving the marinade. Cook over high heat for 1-2 min, turning to brown evenly.
2. Add the reserved marinade, bring to a simmer over low heat, and cook, covered until mostly done, about 7 min, turning ribs once or twice during.
3. Add brown sugar and cook until reduced by 1/3 or 1/2, ~ 2 min
4. Lower heat and add cornstarch mixture, cook until thickened, ~ 2 minutes.
5. Add scallions during the last minute, and serve garnished with more scallions.