Put the kettle on. Turn the oven to 160C/gas mark 3. Lightly crush the fennel seeds with a pestle and mortar and put them in a roasting tin with the bay leaves and peppercorns.
Pour freshly boiled water into the tin and place a metal rack for the pork to sit on over the roasting tin.
Season the ribs with salt, then place on the rack and cover the tin and pork tightly with tinfoil. Place in the oven and bake for 2½ hours until the meat is tender (it should pull easily from its bones).
Mix the date syrup and pomegranate molasses. Remove the roasting tin from the oven, take off the foil, lift off the rack and pour away the water.
Turn the oven up to 220C/gas mark 8. Line the roasting tin with foil then replace the rack and pork on the tin and brush the meat generously with the syrup.
Return the meat to the oven, uncovered, and bake for about 10 minutes, then brush it with more of the syrup. Return to the oven for a further 10 minutes or until the meat is dark, sticky and glossy.
Remove the meat from the tin and leave to rest for 10 minutes before cutting into ribs and serving with the slaw below.
For the kimchi slaw, peel the cucumber and cut into slim matchstick-sized pieces. Slice the radishes into thin rounds then add both to the kimchi and set aside for a good hour.