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I LOVE dim sum. And one of the things I always get every time I go to dim sum is these steamed pork spare ribs with Chinese black beans. Most dishes you get at dim sum are not easy to recreate at home, but this one is an exception—it is super simple! In this video I also show you how to steam dishes even if you don't have an actual steamer at home. Enjoy!
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Dim Sum Spare Ribs w/ Black Beans
- Yield: 2-3 Servings
Ingredients
- 350g spare rib tips (see note)
- 4-5 slices ginger
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp Chinese cooking wine
- 1½ tsp sugar
- ½ tsp ground white pepper
- ½ tsp toasted sesame oil
- 2 tsp Chinese fermented black beans, rinsed thoroughly
- 1½ Tbsp cornstarch
- Diced red bell peppers for colour, or sliced jalapenos if you want some spiciness, optional
- 1 green onion, sliced
Note: You can get these dim sum style pork ribs at Chinese butchers. Alternatively, you can get a rack of spare ribs and separate them into individual pieces, but since the pieces are larger, you will need longer cooking time.
Instructions
- In a mortar and pestle, pound garlic and ginger into a fine paste; alternatively finely grate or mince them and transfer into a small bowl.
- Add soy sauce, Chinese cooking wine, sugar, white pepper, toasted sesame oil, and rinsed black beans; stir to combine.
- Place pork ribs into a zip-top bag and pour the marinade into it. Squeeze out as much as as possible, then squish the pork around to coat all pieces evenly. It will not look like much marinade, but trust me, this is all you need! Marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 day.
- Transfer pork into a mixing bowl and add cornstarch and toss until evenly distributed.
- Transfer the pork into a heat-resistant bowl that can go into your steamer (a wider bowl is better). Steam pork over boiling water for 30-45 minutes or until the ribs are fork tender but not falling off the bones (the size I have in the videos took about 40 minutes.)
- About 5 minutes before ribs are done, throw in some diced red bell peppers or jalapenos and let them steam with the ribs.
- When ribs are done, sprinkle green onions on top and close the lid for about 1 minute to steam green onions slightly.
- Carefully remove the plate from the steamer (use oven mitts!) and serve. They can be enjoyed on their own or with some some rice!
Tip: Naturally, spare ribs will release a lot of fat while they are steamed, so the finished plate will have a lot of fat on top. This is fine as most people just eat the ribs and leave behind the fat or any sauce in the bowl, but if this bothers you or if you want to be able to pour the sauce over rice without the extra fat, you can remove the ribs from the sauce, then skim off some fat. If not serving immediately, you can also refrigerate the sauce to solidify the fat so you can easily remove it.
Mia
Is there a substitute for salted black beans that would work in this recipe?
Pailin Chongchitnant
You can try Thai fermented soybean paste (tao jiew), miso or korean doenjang. They will taste different obviously, but still good.
F. B. Yu
Very flavorful. I tested these ribs in a chinese restaurant a 25 miles drive where we live. My husband likes to taste something new when we eat out. Luckily, he choose this one today.
From the left over that we took home, I checked out the ingredients on the ribs. Pai came to my mind, I was hoping she has the recipe for the pork ribs with black beans. Lucky me, Pailin even has the video on YouTube! Thanks Pai, now I know how to make this at home! You make it so easy to follow and how delicious it is!
★★★★★
Judy Grantham
I love this recipe. I buy the ribs in 10 pound packages, as this is lowest price at my market. I sort through them, trimming and making them suitable. I dry them with paper towels, put them in a large bowl, and toss them with corn starch. This prevents them from sticking together when frozen, and omits the need for cornstarch in the recipe. This way, just enough for the recipe can be defrosted. I also add marinade when still frozen, to make the next day.
★★★★★