TOMATO & WATERMELON RED CURRY PORK RIBS WITH A TOMATO KOMBUCHA PAK CHOI SALAD

For this dish, we teamed up with BASF to highlight Intense tomatoes and their many uses! Tomatoes are crammed into a fragrant marinade, a fresh cooking juice and a delicate curry sauce, taking humble pork ribs from old to new with the help of sweet watermelon, tangy kombucha and the flavours of East Asia.

Ingredients

1 red onion

4 cloves garlic

10 g galangal or ginger

1 red chilli

1 stick lemongrass

4 kaffir lime leaves

1 tbsp tamarind paste

60 g Intense tomatoes

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 kg pork belly with ribs cut individually

300 g fresh watermelon

200 g Intense tomatoes

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp coconut oil

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp salt

400 ml coconut milk

1 star anise

1 clove

1 cinnamon stick

200 g small Intense tomatoes

150 g jasmine rice

1 pandan leaf, torn

1 pak choi

1/2 bunch of Thai Holy Basil

1/2 bunch of fresh coriander

50 ml tomato kombucha

50 g crispy shallots

Method

Peel and roughly chop the onion, garlic and galangal, then hack the chilli, seeds included, and lemongrass into chunks. Place them all in a small food processor and blend until smooth with the other paste ingredients.
Chuck the ribs into a large mixing bowl, rub the paste all over them and cover with Cling Film. Marinate in the fridge for at least 24 hours if you can. Up to 48 hours is great!
To begin cooking, preheat an oven to 140℃. Tip the watermelon and tomatoes into a blender with the salt and blitz to create a juice. Place the ribs into a deep roasting tray, scooping any excess marinade into a bowl to use in the sauce later. Pour the fruit juice over the ribs, cover with tin foil and roast for 3 hours.
About 30 minutes before the ribs are ready to serve, put a medium saucepan over a medium heat. Add coconut oil, followed by the reserved marinade paste and turmeric powder. Season with salt and fry for 5-7 minutes until the oil “breaks” and separates. Pour in the coconut milk and 200ml of cold water and add the star anise, clove and cinnamon stick. Simmer for 20 minutes, then season to taste with the tamarind and salt.
Wash the rice under running water and tip it into a medium saucepan. Pour in 200ml of water, a pinch of salt and the pandan leaf. Add a lid, put it over a medium heat and bring it to a simmer. Turn the heat down to low and cook for 8 minutes, then remove from the heat and allow to continue cooking in the residual heat, with the lid on, for a further 5 minutes.
Preheat a grill to high and place the cooked ribs on a baking tray. Sear under the grill for 5-6 minutes until the meat is charred in places, basting with the watermelon and tomato cooking juice every few minutes.
Halve the small Intense tomatoes, then add to the sauce and lightly simmer for 5 minutes just before serving.
Wash and slice the pak choi and roughly chop the fresh herbs. Throw them into a large mixing bowl and toss with the kombucha and a pinch of salt. Transfer to a serving dish and scatter over the crispy shallots. Serve alongside the rice, ribs and sauce. Serves 4