Bring a large pot of water to boil, add the pork spare ribs and blanch them for about 3-4 minutes. Drain them into a colander and rinse well with water.

In a large bowl, add ½ Teaspoon Five Spice Powder, 2 Teaspoons Kosher Salt, ½ Ground Black Pepper, 1 Tablespoon of Fish Sauce, 1 Teaspoon Sweet Soy Sauce, 1 Large minced Shallot, 4 Large minced Garlic Cloves and mix well. Add the spare ribs and toss them well to coat them in the marinade and set aside.

Add ⅓ Cup Granulated Sugar & 1 Tablespoon of Water into the Instant Pot, press Sauté and use the “More” setting. You don’t need to stir it, the sugar will begin to melt and caramelize once it’s hot enough. Depending on your Instant Pot model, it can take 5-15 minutes before the sugar starts caramelizing into a nice dark color, keep an eye on it once you start seeing a little color, you want the caramel sauce to look dark golden, like maple syrup.

Carefully add the pork ribs and marinade to the pot and stir well coating all the pieces with the caramel. Add 1 Cup of Coconut Water. Seal the Instant Pot lid, switch the knob to “Sealing” and press Manual / High Pressure for 8 minutes (you can do 13 minutes if you want them falling off the bone). After the timer is up and your hear the beep, wait and additional 10 minutes, then switch the knob to “Venting” and release the rest of the steam.

Once the pin drops, open the lid and hit Cancel on the Instant Pot and choose Sauté, it should still be on the “More” setting. Let it Sauté for about 15-20 minutes so the liquid evaporates, stir occasionally to ensure even browning. When most of the liquid has evaporated, the ribs should be a beautiful dark amber color.

Garnish with sliced green onions or sliced Thai chilies and serve with jasmine rice. Enjoy!