Pictorial: Steamed Pork Spareribs, Blk Bean Sauce

[hzrt8w]

Pictorial Recipe

Steamed Pork Spareribs with Black Bean Sauce (豉汁蒸排骨)

This dish is very popular in Cantonese home cooking. It is very easy to make and most families know how to make it.

Picture of the finished dish:

Serving Suggestion: 2-3

Preparations:

Main ingredients (upper left, clockwise):

- about 1 1/2 lb of pork spareribs

- 3-4 tsp of fermented black beans

- 1 small chili pepper

- 3-4 cloves of garlic

- ginger, use about 1-2 inch in length

Trim extra fat and cut the pork spareribs into easy-to-eat, bite-size pieces.

Slightly rinse the 3-4 tsp of fermented black beans. Smash the black beans with the back of a spoon.

Trim end and peel 3-4 cloves of garlic. Press the garlic on top of the smashed black beans.

Use a small spoon to mix the smashed black beans and pressed garlic into a paste.

Cut the chili pepper into small slices. Use about 1-2 inch in length of ginger. Cut into small shreds.

To marinate the pork spareribs, add them in a mixing bowl. Add:

- 1-2 tsp of sesame oil

- 2 tsp of light soy sauce

- 2 tsp of ShaoHsing cooking wine

- 1-2 tsp of corn starch

- 2 tsp of dark soy sauce

- 1/4 tsp of salt (or to taste)

- 1 tsp of ground white pepper

Add the shredded ginger and smashed garlic/black bean paste into the mixture. Mix well. Set aside for 30 minutes before cooking.

Cooking Instructions:

Transfer the mixture on to a steaming dish. Add the chili pepper slices on top.

Set on a steamer and steam for about 20-25 minutes.

Picture of the finished dish.

[warlockdilemma]

Ah Leung Kuo,thx for recreating a classic dish.

Reminds me of my moms recipe with a slight variation.She would use bean sauce instead of the black bean and would serve the finished dish over a platter of blanched water spinach/yau choi.

Edited September 11, 2006 by warlockdilemma (log)

[prasantrin]

If one were to use bean sauce instead of black beans, how much would one use? I have more sauce than beans, so I figure I should use that, instead.

As soon as I saw this cooking pictorial, I knew I had to make this! I could just taste it as I looked at the pictures!

[JasonZ]

Ah Leung Kuo, as always, a masterpiece of simplicity, leading to outstanding taste. I have a teenage son, who has a passion for ribs, but isn't into cooking ... and since this doesn't involve lighting up a grill and spending hours, it may not fall into the teenage "cooking" category!! Perhaps I can teach him to make this as his first real "dish".

Regards,

JasonZ

[jo-mel]

Looks great, Xial Hzrt!

This dish is a MUST when I do Dim Sum. Easy, make-ahead, and most of all --- tasty!

[infernooo]

This may sound like a silly question... but wouldn't the pork be tough if you just steamed it for 20-30 minutes? I thought spare-ribs were a tough cut that required long braising (i.e. 1 hour +) ?

Thanks!

[Dejah]

This may sound like a silly question... but wouldn't the pork be tough if you just steamed it for 20-30 minutes? I thought spare-ribs were a tough cut that required long braising (i.e. 1 hour +) ?

Thanks!

←

I find I always need to steam mine for close to an hour, but then, it's often times when Po-Po comes for supper. She likes them melt in your mouth, so I will often braise them in the oven rather than steaming on the stove.

[Ben Hong]

This may sound like a silly question... but wouldn't the pork be tough if you just steamed it for 20-30 minutes? I thought spare-ribs were a tough cut that required long braising (i.e. 1 hour +) ?

Thanks!

←

There are two approaches to steaming black bean spareribs. Depending on the diners, I prefer homestyle ribs to be on the chewy side. Restaurant style calls for very young ribs and making use of the cartilage ends which are generally more tender. If you are using the long boney ribs from normal supermarket offerings and desire a tender meat, let bicarb be your friend. In fact I suspect a lot of restaurants use that ploy.

[infernooo]

Thanks for the replies... one more quick question. In general when steaming chinese bood, are we talking about steaming at a VERY high heat? i.e. the water underneath is boiling vigorously? or simmering or barely simmering... ?

Thanks again!

[infernooo]

Anyone? :-)

[Ben Hong]

Very high heat.

[infernooo]

Thanks Ben!

[Dejah]

I made ribs with brown bean sauce and brined plums for supper last night. The ribs were pork side ribs cut into 1.5 inch pieces. Steamed at a vigorous boil, it took an hour for them to be tender. They were not "toothless-tender", just "al dente" if this term could be applied to meat.