Spiced Ofellae
Latin
ofellas garaton: lasar zingiber cardamomum et uno acitabulo liquamen misces cum his omnibus tritis et ibi ofellas quoques.
English
Ofellae in fish-sauce: mix asafoetida, ginger, and cardamom, all ground, with a small measure of fish sauce, and cook the ofellae in it.
Ofellae are cuts of meat, like belly or ribs, that are first roasted and then finished quickly in a seasoned sauce. While ofellae are attested from at least the early Imperial period, the use of cardamom and ginger in this recipe is unusual and suggests a late date of composition.
Ingredients
- 1.2 kg rack of pork ribs
- 60 ml fish sauce
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ¾ tsp ground cardamom
- ½ tsp asafoetida
Method
- Preheat the oven to 325 F. Place the pork ribs into a roast tray and cook for 1h 20m, or until cooked through. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly, then cut into individual ribs.
- Place the pork into a small dutch oven along with the fish sauce, spices, and 200 ml of water. Turn the heat to high and fry vigorously for 10 minutes. Serve the ribs with a little of the cooking liquid.