They aren’t the same and it isn’t just a difference in terms — baby back ribs and spare ribs come from different parts of the pig. Baby back ribs are from the back loin. The bones are smaller in width and length. Look for slabs that are about 2 pounds, lean and meaty. If the bone is exposed, the cutters are shaving too much meat off. With ribs, the majority of the meat is in between the bones, but it’s nice to have it around the whole portion of the rib.

YOU NEED…….

* 2 kg baby back ribs
* 1/2 cup of light soy sauce
* 4 tbsps. of gin or white wine (I used white wine)
* 2 tbsps. of sugar
* 1 tbsp. grated ginger
* 800g mushrooms (I used champignon)
* 1 tsp. cornstarch, dispersed in 2 tbsps. of water
* 4 tbsps. vegetable oil
* 1 spring onion leave, finely sliced into ring
* 1/2 cup of terriyaki sauce
* 1 tbsps. of sesame oil
* a cup of water

HOW TO…….

1.) Cut the baby back ribs along the meat part between the bones. Heat the cooking oil in a large shallow pan or casserole. Add ginger and back ribs, continue stirring until ribs both sides are golden brown.

2.) Add light soy sauce, sugar and add a cup of water, set the heat to the lowest setting, cover the pan and simmer the ribs for an hour. Meanwhile, prepare the mushrooms. If they are rather large, cut into halves or quarters.

3.) When the pork is tender, add the mushrooms and terriyaki sauce. Stir a couple of times and continue simmering for another five minutes. Pour in the starch solution, turn up the heat and cook, stirring, until the sauce is thick and clear, before serving drizzled 1 tbsps of sesame oil. Transfer the cooked baby back ribs, mushrooms and sauce to a serving platter and garnish with sliced onion leaves before serving.