Great Times Gourmet™
GREAT RECIPES FROM TOP RESTAURANTS

MADAME WU’S GARDEN
Santa Monica, California

 

In the '80s, Madame Wu’s Garden was acclaimed as the best known Chinese restaurant in the United States.  The owner, Madame Wu, had enjoyed preparing Chinese dishes for her family in China.  When she came to live in the United States, she brought her prized Chinese gourmet recipes and opened a restaurant in California.  The authenticity and excellence of this gourmet restaurant brought many well-known entertainers to Madame Wu’s Garden.  A few of the entertainers who frequented the restaurant included Bob Hope, Mae West, Dinah Shore, Johnny Carson, Cary Grant, Lawrence Welk, Carol Burnett, and a host of others.   

MADAME WU’S BARBECUED SPARE RIBS

1     12-rib slab of pork spare ribs which have been cracked down the center for easy separation after they have been cooked.  Cut off skin and fat.

2    tablespoons dark Chinese soy sauce

1     teaspoon light Chinese soy sauce

3     teaspoons Hoisin sauce

2     tablespoons catsup

2     cloves garlic chopped fine

2     teaspoons sugar (optional)

Prepare a marinade of the soy sauces, catsup, Hoisin sauce, sugar and garlic, and brush over the spare ribs with a pastry brush.  Turn over, brush again.  Place the ribs on a platter, cover with foil, and marinate overnight in the refrigerator.

To cook, transfer the marinated spare ribs to a shallow pan.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and bake the ribs for 20 minutes.  Reduce the heat to 350 degrees F. And bake for an additional 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven to a cutting board.  Separate into two slabs along the center crack then cut into individual bite-size pieces.

Serve hot immediately for four persons.

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