Braised Pork Spareribs with Fermented Bean Curd (腐乳排骨, Fu6 Jyu5 Paai4 Gwat1)

This recipe was updated on 07 Sep 2015. Some instructions and ingredient quantities were changed.

This is another favorite pork sparerib recipe using fermented bean curd. Since I like the taste of fermented bean curd, I use a lot. Unless you’re familiar with the taste of this ingredient, you might want to use less until you’re comfortable with the taste.

Black or wood ear fungus are available either fresh or dried, and either whole or sliced. The dried version needs to be rehydrated with hot water and the volume expands greatly, so don’t be deceived by the seemingly small amount of the dried version. The fresh version needs to be washed. The hard inedible stems should be removed from both versions. Whole or sliced cloud or wood ear fungus works well in this dish. If you can’t find cloud or wood ear fungus at your local Asian market, there’s really no substitute for this ingredient.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 lb.	500 g.	Pork spareribs (排骨, paai4 gwat1) already cut into 1- (2.5 cm.) to 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces
1 tsp.	5 ml.	Baking soda (蘇打粉, sou1 daa2 fan2)
½ in.	15 mm.	Knob of ginger (薑, goeng1), crushed in a garlic press
2 cloves	2 cloves	Garlic (蒜, syun3), crushed in a garlic press
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Corn starch (粟粉, suk1 fan2)
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Soy sauce (豉油, si6 jau4)
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Hoisin sauce (海鮮醬, hoi2 sin1 zoeng3)
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Shaoxing rice wine (紹興酒, siu6 hing1 zau2) or dry sherry
½ tsp.	2.5 ml.	Ground white pepper (白胡椒, baak6 wu4 ziu1)
1 tsp.	5 ml.	Sesame oil (麻油, maa4 jau4)
1 lb.	500 g.	Carrots (紅蘿蔔, hung4 lo4 baak6), cut into ½-inch (15 mm.) diagonal pieces
6 oz.	170 g.	One package cloud ear fungus (雲耳, wan4 ji5) or wood ear fungus (木耳, muk6 ji5)
3	3	Dried bean curd sticks (腐竹, fu6 zuk1) or 8 oz. (250 g.) fresh bean curd skin (鮮竹, sin1 zuk1), cut into 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces
½ in.	15 mm.	Knob of ginger (薑, goeng1), crushed in a garlic press
2 cloves	2 cloves	Garlic (蒜, syun3), crushed in a garlic press
		Oil for cooking

 

Sauce Ingredients

½+ cup	125+ ml.	Chicken stock (雞湯, gai1 tong1) or water
6-10 cubes	6-10 cubes	Chan Moon Kee brand Fermented Bean Curd (腐乳, fu6 jyu5) or equivalent, crushed
4 Tbs.	60 ml.	Shaoxing rice wine (紹興酒, siu6 hing1 zau2) or dry sherry
½ tsp.	2.5 ml.	Ground white pepper (白胡椒, baak6 wu4 ziu1)
½ Tbs.	7.5 ml.	Sesame oil (麻油, maa4 jau4)
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Corn starch (粟粉, suk1 fan2)
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Water

 

Equipment

		Garlic press
6 qt.	5.7 L.	Dutch oven

 

Chan Moon Kee Brand
Fermented Bean Curd
(腐乳, fu6 jyu5)

Preparation Instructions

1. The pork spareribs can be purchased already cut into 1- (2.5 cm.) to 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces or have your butcher cut the spareribs into pieces for you. Wet with water and add the baking soda to the pork, allow to tenderize for 15 minutes, and then wash the baking soda from the meat. The baking soda can be omitted but results in the tender meat experienced in restaurant dishes.
2. Marinate the pork in a covered container for at least one hour or overnight in the refrigerator with the ginger and garlic crushed in a garlic press, corn starch, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry, ground white pepper, and sesame oil. If marinating the pork overnight, take it out of the refrigerator at least one hour before cooking.
3. If using dried wood or cloud ear fungus, pour boiling water over the dried fungus in a heat proof bowl and rehydrate the fungus for at least one hour. A little goes a long way, so don’t be deceived by the seemingly small amount. After hydration, the volume expands. Remove the Shiitake mushrooms from the rehydration liquid and discard the liquid. Wash if using fresh fungus. Remove any stems or hard pieces. The fungus can be cut into smaller pieces if desired.
4. If using dried bean curd sticks, put the sticks into a heat proof bowl and cover with boiling water. Allow to hydrate for at least one hour and then discard the liquid. Wash if using fresh bean curd skin. Cut the bean curd into 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces.
5. Wash and cut the carrots into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces on the diagonal.
6. Crush the ginger and garlic with a garlic press into a small bowl.
7. Prepare and mix the sauce in a small bowl: crush the Chan Moon Kee brand Fermented Bean Curd cubes, or equivalent, and then add the Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry, ground white pepper, and sesame oil. In another small bowl, prepare the corn starch slurry by mixing the corn starch and water together.

Cooking Instructions

1. Add oil and heat a Dutch oven or other covered pot over medium to medium-high heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the pork sparerib pieces to the Dutch oven in a single layer on the bottom and brown the outside. You may have to cook the spareribs in batches, so be sure to reheat the Dutch oven before adding more oil. Transfer the spareribs to a bowl.
2. Reheat the Dutch oven over medium to medium to medium-high heat before adding oil. Add the carrots and brown them in the Dutch oven. Add the bowl with the ginger and garlic mixture, and then some oil to the mixture. Quickly stir fry all the ingredients until the ginger and garlic mixture becomes fragrant. Add the bean curd, cloud or wood ear fungus, and the bowl with the browned pork spareribs into the Dutch oven with the carrots. Mix the ingredients together.
3. Add the sauce ingredients and then the chicken stock or water to the Dutch oven. Adjust the amount of liquid so that the contents of the Dutch oven are just covered. Mix the ingredients together and scrape any browned bits from the sides of the Dutch oven into the liquid. Cover the Dutch oven, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 30-45 minutes.
4. Add the corn starch slurry to the Dutch oven. Mix all the ingredients together and bring to a boil over high heat to thicken the sauce. Turn off the heat and transfer the contents to a serving bowl and serve with steamed rice.