Pork Baby Back Ribs with Black Bean and Garlic (蒜蓉豆豉排骨, Syun3 Jung4 Dau6 Si6 Paai4 Gwat1)

 

This recipe was updated on 08 Nov 2015. Some instructions and ingredient quantities were changed, and metric measurements added.

This recipe is a classic Cantonese-style steamed pork dish using pork ribs and black beans, with a notable twist to the recipe – using the whole pork baby back rib instead of using cut 1- (2.5 cm.) to 2-inch (5 cm.) rib pieces. Marinating the ribs is also not usually done in the classic recipe, so feel free to omit this step if you’re in a hurry to make and eat this dish!

The number of pork ribs used in this recipe is governed by the size of the plate than can be placed into the steamer. You want to have one layer of individual ribs in the plate with the topping. The baby back rib is the right size to fit into the steamer plate for cooking and for eating. You can of course use cut ribs (just pile them in the plate!) in this recipe instead of whole baby back ribs, but normal pork ribs are not recommended since they would be too big to fit into the steaming plate and to eat.

For this recipe, ½ of the baby back pork rib rack was used, about 7 ribs. The whole rack was cut into individual ribs, marinated, and then used in two recipes. The first being this recipe and the other is Pork Baby Back Ribs with Fermented Bean Curd (腐乳排骨, Fu⁶ Jyu⁵ Paai⁴ Gwat¹). Both recipes are classic Cantonese steamed dishes except for the use of the whole baby back rib.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

½ rack	½ rack	Pork baby back ribs (排骨, paai4 gwat1), about 7 individual cut ribs
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)

 

Topping Ingredients

2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Whole salted black beans (豆豉, dau6 si6), lightly crushed
½ in.	15 mm.	Knob of ginger (薑, goeng1), finely minced
4 cloves	4 cloves	Garlic (蒜, syun3), finely minced
1 tsp.	5 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)

 

Equipment

		Garlic press
12 in.	30 cm.	Steamer (or larger)
9 in.	23 cm.	Plate or bowl for steaming
		Plate lifter

 

Pork Baby Back Ribs Steaming Plate Arrangement

Instructions

1. Prepare the pork baby back ribs by removing any excess fat. Cut the rack of baby back ribs into individual ribs and place the ribs into a covered bowl to be marinated. Marinating the ribs is optional. Marinate the pork ribs 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 ribs overnight, take it out of the refrigerator at least one hour before cooking.
2. Wash and crush the salted black beans in a small bowl. The traditional way to crush the salted black beans is to use the base of the handle of a Chinese cleaver, but you can use any method that’s available to you. Finely mince the ginger and garlic, and add enough Shaoxing Rice Wine or dry sherry to the topping ingredients to form a paste with the salted black beans in the small bowl. A prepared bottled sauce can be substituted, such as the Lee Kum Kee brand Black Bean Garlic Sauce.
3. Arrange the pork baby back ribs in one layer in a steaming plate (about 7 or ½ of a rack ribs). Spread the topping ingredients on top of the ribs.
4. Add water and bring the steamer to a boil on high heat. Put the steaming plate into the steamer and steam for 5 minutes on high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer for another 40 minutes. Remove the cooked dish from the steamer with a plate lifter and serve with steamed rice.