Sweet and Spicy Ribs With Cilantro and Cucumber Recipe (2024)

This looks soooo wonderful but...I am one of those people who eat cilantro and taste soap. What can I use as a substitute, if anything? Such a perfect recipe but I would like to enjoy it too.

Would the recipe change much if we substituted beef ribs instead of baby back? Asking for a friend!

The first time I had cilantro, at a San Francisco restaurant in the 1970s, I sent it back because I thought there was soap in the bowl. But I learned I was just one of those people who couldn't eat it. Determined to overcome this, I ate a tiny bit every time it showed up at an Asian or Mexican meal. 12 years later I had an epiphany! Cilantro mysteriously turned from soap to a wonderous moreish taste. Now I eat it all the time. So, my suggestion is to keep trying it until it becomes amazing.

Loving the use of both metric and imperial measurements! Saves this Australian cook some maths before heading to the supermarket.

Another suggestion is to use country-style pork ribs with bone. They have a good ratio of fat to meat, plus the bone, and while not pretty, cost very little. $1.59/lb often at my Italian store in New Haven.

Tightly packed the ribs and marinade in foil packages (à la Boy-Scout campfire potatoes). After 2 hours in a 150°C oven, unpacked the ribs and harvested the sauce. Meat was falling-off-the-bone tender. Thickened sauce with a teaspoon of cornstarch for better adhesion. Then, threw the ribs on a blazing hot charcoal grill and basted with the sauce. The fat from the pork infused into the marinade and gave fire and solid char for the reverse-sear. Spectacular result; the best ribs I have ever had.

What if we can’t find pomegranate juice? Would cherry juice work as a substitute?

Mango pickle: "Not to be confused with mango chutney, hot mango pickle is a traditional jarred condiment made by preserving mangoes and a variety of hot spices."

"OK" overall - it produces good texture on ribs & a flavorful sauce that isn't cloyingly sweet. But the sauce requires more work than instructed. Under tight foil, the ribs release so much liquid it simply can't thicken at 375 degrees in 25 min. After the ribs browned I had to pour off the sauce and reduce it on the stovetop - which is fine as it lets the ribs rest before cutting, but it should be worked into your planning.

Update on making these ribs using two tweaks from the comments. First, after two hours at 300, I left the ribs in for an extra 90 minutes at 200. Totally falling off the bone and wonderful. Second, once done, I let the ribs brown for 20 minutes at 375. But to reduce the sauce, you have to bring it to a boil on the stove top. So I put the ribs in a large bowl, and upped the flame to high. It took about ten more minutes. Perfection.

Trinasmom: I can’t do cilantro either. I usually substitute flat leaf parsley whenever a recipe calls for it.

I have used dill in place of cilantro, mint or basil would work as well. I also think beef short ribs would work too.

Delicious ! I added a chipotle instead of a jalapeño (in the end a chipotle is a smoked jalapeño) and made tacos with a ratatouille on the side ;)

Thanks for displaying the measurements in the metric system!

The headnotes specifically say not to confuse mango pickle with mango chutney. Very different flavors, as you point out.

A lot of work but not an impressive sauce. Fairly bland when made in the egg

I used goat ribs and cooked in an oven bag at 275F for 3 hours. A+ recipe!

Smash hit! Will be making this again.

I have pomegranate molasses that I'd like to use up. Can it be diluted and used as a substitute for the juice?

One more note, for the people who have cilantro issues. The cilantro that is cooked into the sauce probably won't taste soapy to you. My dh isn't a fan, and he LOVED the sauce. I chose to leave the fresh stuff out of the raita and then just had chopped cilantro in a bowl so those who wanted it could add it to their own bowls.

This was incredibly good. After cooking for two hours, uncovering, basting, then continuing to cook, the sauce was not reducing or getting sticky, so I poured most of it into a saucepan and reduced it quickly on the stove. I poured the deep brown/reduced sauce over the ribs as I served them. The ribs/sauce were incredible, and the raita was delicious as well. Husband said these were so much better than ribs with barbecue sauce. I agree. I'd like to try this with a pork tenderloin sometime.

I’ve found celery leaves to be a good substitute for cilantro.

How would the cooking time differ using St Louis style ribs?

Couldn’t find mango pickle at Asian market. So I substituted fermented veggies which we make and always keep around: fennel, onions, carrots, and garlic for the sour. A few shakes of hot pepper, and a couple of tbsp of homemade apricot preserves. Otherwise stuck pretty close to recipe.

Can a Dutch oven be used instead of the foil?

Will St Louis style ribs work with this recipe?

Modified the recipe and smoked it using the 3-2-1 method. Simple salt and pepper rub for the smoke phase and then braised with the sauce. Finished with basting of the sauce. DELICIOUS!!!

The sauce was so delicious, I had to wipe out the pan w a heel of bread! I may make this as a jarred sauce or freeze it. It would be terrif on a grilled pork chop too. YUM!

This recipe is outstanding. I followed the recipe as indicated. The flavors all blended so beautifully. There were those that were concerned about not liking the the favor of cilantro but I can assure you that it is not clearly distinguishable in this dish. None of the strong flavors of the mango pickle, cilantro, jalapeño or shallots were recognized on their own. It was just a wonderful marriage of flavors.

A most fantastic recipe! I use the St. Louis ribs from Costco and it all cooks down with so much flavor. Don’t skip the cucumbers - they add a refreshing contrast.