Preheat the oven 10 375 degree F. Trim any excess fat
from the ribs and place them in a long shallow dish.
In a mixing bowl, combine the marinade ingredients; if
you are using 5-spice powder, add it to the mixture by
putting it through a tea strainer so it spreads out
over the mixture. Mix well, and pour over the ribs and
leave for 3 hours at room temperature or about 6 hours
in the refrigerator. Baste the ribs every hours or
so, turning them over. TO ROAST THE RIBS: Remove the
ribs from the marinade. Add the 1/4 cup plum sauce to
the marinade; reserve it for basting. Hook metal
drapery hooks through both ends of each rack of ribs,
at the top, and hang each one as if you were hanging a
hammock, suspended from the bars of one of the oven
racks. Set the oven rack in the highest position in
the oven. On the floor of the oven or on another oven
rack set at the lowest position in the oven, place a
baking pan half filled with water, to collect
drippings and prevent smoking. You may want to line
the baking pan with aluminum foil before putting the
water in, to make it easier to clean. Roast the
spareribs for 45 minutes in the preheated oven. Then
baste them with the reserved basting sauce, using a
small pastery brush and carefully pulling out the oven
rack to facilitate the basting process. Turn the oven
up to 450 degrees F and roast for another 15 minutes.
By this time the spareribs should be a rich golden
brown with crisp edges. Baste again, then take them
out of the oven. Place the ribs on a cutting board
and remove the drapery hooks. Separate the individual
ribs with a cleaver or sharp knife. Serve at room
temperature, with dipping sauce. Makes 6 to 8
appetizer servings. NOTE: You will need about 12
drapery hooks. Recipe: "Chinese Appetizers" by Verdi
Published by Irene Chalmers Cookbooks, 1981
