Steamed Black Bean Spare Ribs
This classic dim sum dish is one of the easiest dim sum dishes to make at home.
Ingredients
To marinate the pork ribs
- 1 pound pork spare ribs (also called side ribs)
- 4 teaspoons sugar (I know this seems like a lot of sugar but don't worry it is not overly sweet at all)
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon Chinese cooking wine
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 pinch MSG
To add before steaming
- 1 teaspoon oil
- 1 tablespoon fermented black beans (rehydrated in ¼ cup of hot water for 5 minutes)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine all the marinade ingredients. Massage the meat for 1 minute then transfer to the fridge for at least 40 minutes and up to 2 days. I find the flavor is best after 4 hours.
- Before steaming, mix in the oil, fermented black beans, and cornstarch. I used my fingers to smush some of the black beans so more of their flavor would come out.
- Transfer the pork to a steaming dish and arrange the meat in a single layer. Please note the single layer is very important. I did a double batch once and had to pile the meat on top of each other and the meat at the bottom did not cook through. If you have a lot of meat, I recommend doubling the cooking time and mixing every 10 minutes so they cook evenly.
- Bring the water to a boil and place the ribs in the steamer. Cover with a lid and reduce the heat to medium. Steam for 45 minutes. If you like the meat to fall off the bone, then go for another 15 minutes. Make sure to check the water level every so often and refill as needed.