Yet Coffee Pork Ribs is a very common dish on both sides of the causeway. I may be wrong, but I believe this dish evolves from the world of restaurants and Cantonese Cze Char stalls rather than home kitchens.
There are many restaurants techniques which are not just centered on making good food but the need to do so efficiently. Recipes have been created or evolved from the world of the countless Cantonese Cze Char eateries dotting Malaysia and Singapore.
For example, in the last few years, salted egg yolk is the latest craze. You can have salted yolk this and salted yolk that, often used to flavour seafood though not limited to it. Did it originate in Malaysia or Singapore? Who knows? Some cook eats in another restaurant and likes a dish. And he begins to experiment and make it in his own kitchen. It must taste good and just as important, the recipe needs to be practical for consistent and efficient production in a restaurant.