Cantonese Cuisine · FFET10197
Steamed spareribs with fermented black beans
Small pieces of pork spareribs are marinated with fermented black beans, garlic and ginger and steamed on a plate, a common dim sum dish.
A small round white porcelain bowl holds small pieces of pork spareribs in glossy light-brown sauce pooled below, with fermented black beans, minced ginger and garlic, with a pair of wooden chopsticks also visible.
The regional cooking of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau, prized for live, fresh ingredients and light flavours.
Steamed spareribs with fermented black beans are small pieces of pork spareribs mixed with fermented black beans, garlic and ginger, marinated and steamed on a plate. The dish is common in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau and is a Cantonese dim sum item. Menus often misprint the character for fermented black beans as the character for drum. The available material does not establish when or how it originated.
What
Steamed spareribs with fermented black beans are small pieces of pork spareribs mixed with fermented black beans, garlic and ginger, marinated and steamed on a plate.1,2,3
Where
Steamed spareribs with fermented black beans are a Cantonese dim sum item in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau.1,2,3
How
The spareribs are cut small, rinsed and mixed with seasonings such as sugar, salt, cooking wine, starch and fermented black beans, then steamed on a plate over high heat for about 20 minutes. One method cuts the ribs into pieces about 2.5 centimeters across and marinates them for 30 minutes or overnight; another soaks the ribs for 1 hour beforehand, marinates them for 30 minutes or more and pours hot oil over the ginger and garlic.2,3
Why
For this dim sum dish, the ribs are cut small and steamed in about 20 minutes. The available material does not explain why it became a regular at dim sum tables.2,3
Impact and influence
Steamed spareribs with fermented black beans are a common dim sum item in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau.1
No tale about this food has been found.
Grandma Li
This is a simplified home version, not the traditional restaurant method.
In dim sum restaurants this dish is steamed in small dishes. This is the simpler way I make it at home: cut the ribs small, soak, marinate and steam on a plate. The sugar, salt, cooking wine, sesame oil and starch in the marinade follow the named dim sum recipe, the black beans, ginger and garlic and the soaking follow the second named recipe, and both recipes steam for about 20 minutes. I leave out the oyster sauce and soy sauce and the hot oil. How I judge that the ribs are done is my own method.
Ingredients
- Pork spareribs 450 g, cut into pieces about 2.5 cm across
- Fermented black beans 1 tablespoon
- Minced ginger 1 tablespoon
- Garlic 3 cloves, minced
- Sugar 2 teaspoons
- Salt 1.5 teaspoons
- Rice wine 1 tablespoon
- Sesame oil 1 teaspoon
- White pepper a pinch
- Cornstarch 1.5 tablespoons
Steps
- Soak the ribs in cold water for 1 hour, changing the water once or twice, then drain them and pat them dry with paper towels.
- Put the ribs in a large bowl with the black beans, ginger, garlic, sugar, salt, rice wine, sesame oil and white pepper and mix well. Sprinkle in the cornstarch and mix again so that each piece is lightly coated.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or overnight if you have time.
- Bring the water in the steamer to a boil and spread the ribs in one layer on a shallow heatproof plate, not piled too thickly.
- Cover and steam over high heat for about 20 minutes.
- Break open one of the bigger pieces. The meat should be tender enough to come away from the bone, with no pink near the bone; if not, steam a few more minutes until it is cooked through. Serve hot.
Tips
- The second recipe pours hot oil over the ginger and garlic at the end. I skip that step at home, but you could try it for more fragrance.
- I ask the butcher to cut the ribs into small pieces, because cutting them myself is hard work; this is my own way.
Allergens: soy, sesame