Pictorial: Steamed Pork Spareribs with Plum Sauce

[hzrt8w]

Steamed Pork Spareribs with Plum Sauce (梅子蒸排骨)

There are two popular styles of Cantonese steamed pork spareribs: with fermented black beans and with plum sauce. I like the sweet and sour flavor of the plum sauce. It really compliments the pork spareribs very well. I tweaked the traditional plum sauce sparerib recipe slightly with adding some fermented black beans. The result was very good.

The finished dish:

Serving suggestion: 2 to 3

I bought this package of pork spareribs. The package label read "sparerib for soup". I have a better idea on how to appreciate this package of beautiful, lean spareribs.

Main ingredients: (Clockwise) Pork spareribs, about 1 1/4 pound. 2 tblsp of fermented black beans. Ginger, use about 1 inch in length. 2 cloves of garlic. 1/2 of a chili. Plum sauce.

Trim the unwanted fat from the spareribs. Cut the spareribs into bite size.

Cut the 1-inch of ginger into fine shreds. Cut the half a chili into thin slices. Peel and press 2 cloves of garlic.

Marinating the spareribs: Use a mixing bowl, add the spareribs. Add the shredded ginger and pressed garlic. Add a pinch of salt (to taste, suggest 1/8 tsp), 2 tsp of sesame oil, 1 tsp of ground white pepper, 2 tsp of light soy sauce, 3 to 4 tsp of sugar, 2 tsp of Shao Hsing cooking wine, 2 tsp of corn starch. The sugar is essential to bring out the sweet and sour taste of this dish.

Mix all the ingredients well. Set aside for at least 20 minutes before cooking.

Right before cooking, add a generous 3 tblsp of plum sauce into the marinated spareribs. Mix well.

Transfer the spareribs onto a steaming dish. Slightly rinse the fermented black beans. Smash with a spoon. Add to the top of the spareribs. Also add the slices of half a chili.

Place this dish in the steamer. Steam for 15 to 20 minutes.

The finished dish.

Edited October 31, 2005 by hzrt8w (log)

[torakris]

Are those ribs boneless?

Could we do this with bone in ribs cut in small chunks?

This looks so good, now to find myself some plum sauce...

[Pan]

That really looks great, and I love the idea of lean spareribs! Spareribs are so often incredibly fatty.

[Pan]

Kristin, do Japanese people use plum sauce much? I know that plums have historically been greatly appreciated in Japan; beautiful plum trees appear often in paintings by masters from various historical periods.

[torakris]

Kristin, do Japanese people use plum sauce much? I know that plums have historically been greatly appreciated in Japan; beautiful plum trees appear often in paintings by masters from various historical periods.

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They use the Japanese pickled plums (umeboshi) with are very salty and sour. They are often pounded into a paste and made into sauce by mixing them with other ingredients. I remember the jarred plum sauces in the US to be quite sweet and the flavor very different but I don't think I have tasted plum sauce in a bout 12 years...

I haven't seen in in the little ethnic sections of the supermarkets either, guess I will be needing to get myself either to Chinatown or a good international market.

[hzrt8w]

Are those ribs boneless?

Could we do this with bone in ribs cut in small chunks?

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The spareribs that I bought did have some bones, though thankfully not too many. Inevitably spareribs also contain a fair amount of fat. The package that I bought was the leanest that I have seen.

The Chinese plum sauce (mine is Koon Chun brand) is pretty sweet. It is exactly the same sauce that is served as a condiment for Cantonese roast ducks.

[Dejah]

Pickled plums, salty and sour, like the ones Kris mentioned are the ones I use for spareribs. Talk about variations, I use brown beans! I suppose I need to call mine salty plum spareribs.

There are times when fatty ribs are better...like BBQ ribs. I made some last night with baby back ribs, and they were not nearly as good as side ribs with bits of fat dripping as they cook.

[BarbaraY]

Very interesting. I'm always in the market for a different way to prepare spareribs.

[AzianBrewer]

Never had it with black beans. Is it an optional ingredient?

[I_call_the_duck]

Ah Leung,

Thanks again for the lovely pictorial. I've made spareribs with black beans before, but never with plum sauce. Are these the ones they usually have at dim sum? I've always wondered what makes those different than the ones I make at home. (And my mom also has those exact same dishes!)

This is my 100th post. I officially have too much free time at work.

[hzrt8w]

Never had it with black beans.  Is it an optional ingredient?

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Yes it is optional. I found that have just a bit of black bean would enhance the flavor.

[hzrt8w]

..... Are these the ones they usually have at dim sum?

...This is my 100th post.  I officially have too much free time at work. 

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Karen: Dim sum restaurants offer both spareribs with black beans and spareribs with plum sauce. My recipe is the latter one. The restaurant's plum sauce spareribs may not use black bean. It is my own touch. The result was good.

Congratulations on your 100th! eG posting is addictive! You next major mark is 500th, then on to 1000th, then 5000th, then on to 10000th like Pan.

[I_call_the_duck]

..... Are these the ones they usually have at dim sum?

...This is my 100th post.  I officially have too much free time at work. 

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Karen: Dim sum restaurants offer both spareribs with black beans and spareribs with plum sauce. My recipe is the latter one. The restaurant's plum sauce spareribs may not use black bean. It is my own touch. The result was good.

Congratulations on your 100th! eG posting is addictive! You next major mark is 500th, then on to 1000th, then 5000th, then on to 10000th like Pan.

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Thanks for the clarification, Leung. I usually see the plum sauce variety when I have dim sum, either with our without the black bean. I like the black beans since they add a big more depth to the dish. Now I have to pick up some plum sauce the next time I'm in the store so I can try this recipe.

I finally have a goal in life--to catch up with Pan! ha!

[rjwong]

There are two popular styles of Cantonese steamed pork spareribs: with fermented black beans and with plum sauce. 

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I grew up eating the former style. Instead of placing the black bean (dow see) on top, it is smashed and mixed with the garlic & ginger root mixture, then later with the pork.

hzrt8w, you steam the dish for 15 minutes?? Is that long enough for the pork to get cooked? I remember my father saying 45 minutes.

This is my 500th post. I had choices, and I decided to post here, Ah Leung.

[Yuki]

I always cook the sparerib in the rice cooker, and the rule is to put the dish when the water starts to bubble(don't think it would do any harm if you put it in the beginning though). My family used to steam a type of fish with plum sauce but it is not the type that is used for roasted duck. The sauce is almost black and has bits of plum in it.

[hzrt8w]

hzrt8w, you steam the dish for 15 minutes?? Is that long enough for the pork to get cooked? I remember my father saying 45 minutes.

...This is my 500th post. I had choices, and I decided to post here, Ah Leung.

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Russell: 15 to 20 minutes should be enough to cook the pork spareribs. It may not hurt to cook them longer. Same goes for pork slices or ground pork. I am not sure what the benefits are steaming pork for that long. Like how Yuki described, my father used to put sparerib in a dish that fit right above the rice inside a National rice cooker - the one like yours. It's done in 15 to 20 minutes.

Congratulations on your 500th post! What an honor! Please let me know one of your favorite Chinese dishes. I would like to make that dish (and treat my stomach to it) in your honor! (Same offer to anybody who has achieved this major milestone! ) I know... you mentioned about steaming meat (may be beef?) with one of the preserved vegetables that you bought...

[torakris]

I will let you know what I want when I get close to 10,000!!

Yuki, i like the idea of cooking them in the rice cooker, do you use a special dish? Does the rice get smashed down?

[hzrt8w]

Yuki, i like the idea of cooking them in the rice cooker, do you use a special dish? Does the rice get smashed down?

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Kris: In Asia, a small gadget designed for this purpose is very common. I don't have a picture of it, so I have drawn a sketch (sorry it doesn't look too good):

This gadget is made out of aluminum. The design is really simple.

You don't put the dish directly on top of the rice inside a rice cooker. Instead, you put this gadget in first and it will hold up the steaming dish. The 3 legs would be immersed in the rice/water mix but the top if above the water line. You place your dish on top of this "holder". (Not sure what the exact name is).

There is also another special gadget to let you hook to the side of the steaming dish and lift it up from the rice cooker because the clearance between the dish and the wall of the rice cooker is very small.

10000th post will be a major landmark! That deserves a special banquet dish!

[Dejah]

I use your type of steaming rack when I cook rice on top of the stove. With electric rice cookers, there is usually an extra tray with holes on the bottom that sits jon a rim ust under the lid. My s-i- law steams her dishes that way.

Usually, 15-20 minutes will be fine with sliced and ground meats. With spareribs, because of the bone, I like to steam them a little longer - 30 minutes. The longer you steam ribs, the more tender they become. Not true with sliced meats tho'.

[BarbaraY]

I made this today. I had already marinated the ribs when I found that my Plum Sauce wasn't the usual Koon Chun type but a brown syrupy dipping sauce but I went ahead with it anyway. Not too bad but I want to try it with real plum sauce. It took 45 minutes to get tender.

[I_call_the_duck]

I made these last night. I had a senior moment and added a couple teaspoons of brown bean sauce before I realized it wasn't plum sauce. Grr. Anyways, I steamed them for about 25 min. and they were nice and tender. I think the brown bean sauce gave the dish a bit more color, and I could still taste the gingery sweetness of the plum sauce.

Very good!! Mr. Duck loves ginger, and this dish was definitely a winner. (I'll try it your way next time, Ah Leung ).