Back in the days, my family and I would have dim sum practically every weekend, on Sundays specifically, which was the only day my parents were off from work. As with most children, I often craved the rice noodle dishes, bao, har gow, siu mai and desserts that came down those carts. Adults would often order steamed spare ribs with black beans, one of the few dim sum dishes that I wasn’t crazy about at the time. Now that my flavor palate has matured, it has become a dish that I would often order AND make for my family at home.
What are fermented black beans, you ask?
Fermented black beans are black soy beans that have been salted and fermented, not to be confused with the black beans you’d find at Chipotle, although they are equally delicious. Fermented black beans are a popular Chinese ingredient, often used in recipes such as mapo tofu or stir-fried clams in black bean sauce. They’re referred to as douchi (豆豉) in Mandarin and are also referred to as “preserved black beans” or “salted black beans.” Their smell and taste may be acquired to some (or most people), but the addition of this ingredient usually results in a savory and aromatic dish that can not be replicated by anything else (in my opinion).
This is the brand that I use, but there are others that you can find on Amazon or at your local Asian supermarket.
There are also premade, jarred black bean sauces that you can find at local Asian markets. I keep jars of them in my pantry because they come in so handy when I have limited time to make dinner. They work well as a marinade on fish, more so on fillets rather than whole fish (in my opinion).
If you’ve tried my recipe be sure to leave me a comment below and/or tag me @rackoflam and use #rackoflam on your social media photos plus subscribe to my YouTube channel!
Chinese Steamed Spare Ribs with Fermented Black Beans Recipe
Equipment
- 1 steamer
Ingredients
- 1.5-2 lbs spare ribs cut into pieces
FOR THE MARINADE
- 2 tsp sugar
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 2 tbsp corn starch
- 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 2 tsp light soy sauce
- few dashes white pepper powder
- half a thumb of ginger cut into matchsticks
- 2 tbsp fermented/salted black beans
GARNISHMENT
- handful of chopped scallions for garnishment
Instructions
- Place cut spare ribs into a large bowl.
- Add marinade ingredients into a separate small bowl, excluding the ginger and black beans, then mix until well blended.
- Pour marinade onto the spare ribs. Top with ginger and black beans, then mix until thoroughly incorporated with the spare ribs.
- Cover with saran wrap and allow the ribs to marinate overnight for best results or for at least 4 hours.
- Remove the marinated spare ribs from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature (app. 15 minutes). Remove the saran wrap, then place the spare ribs into a large, heat-proof dish (in a single-layer without overlapping if possible, so that they steam all the way through).
- Steam the ribs for 25-30 minutes, or until fully cooked. Top with chopped scallions and enjoy!
