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1
Have the butcher cut the ribs across the bone in to 2 inch wide strips. Remove the membrane from the underside of the ribs and discard. Cut each two inch wide strip into three sections. Set aside.
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2
Combine the chicken broth, coconut milk and the fish sauce. Set aside.
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3
In a small skillet, heat the cloves, peppercorns, coriander seeds, caraway seeds and cumin seeds over medium heat until the spices just begin to smoke (about 1 minute).
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4
Using a spice grinder, pulverize the spices and set aside. In a food processor, add the garlic cloves, shallot and chiles and pulse a few times. Add the basil, cilantro and salt and pulse several more times. Add the ground spices and pulse several more times. Through the feed tube, pour the vegetable oil with the machine on so that a paste can be formed. Place into a small bowl and set aside.
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5
In a large dutch oven, heat the 1/4 cup vegetable oil over medium-high heat. When the oil starts to smoke a little, add the ribs and fry until they are lightly browned (about 5 minutes). Don't forget to have your kitchen fan turned on high. Remove the ribs and drain the cooking oil. Add the ribs back to the pot and pour in the curry paste. Stirfry the ribs and curry paste over medium heat for 30 seconds.
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6
Add the coconut milk mixture and bring to a low boil. Cover and reduce heat to low/simmer. Cook the ribs until the meat is tender (about 1 hour). Stir the pot every 15 minutes.
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7
Temporarily remove the ribs from the pot. Using paper towels, remove the oil floating on the surface of the sauce and discard. Return the ribs to the sauce and simmer for 5 minutes to heat them again. If you are not planning on serving the dish within the hour, cool completely, refrigerate covered for no more than 24 hours and then reheat when ready to serve.
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8
Mix the cornstarch with equal amount of cold water until smooth. Stir into sauce until sauce is slightly thickened. You can keep the ribs warm for up to one hour on simmer/low heat before serving. Serve over cooked rice.
