Pork Ribs and Sea Cucumber with Shiitake Mushrooms (冬菇海參排骨, Dung1 Gu1 Hoi2 Sam1 Paai4 Gwat1)

This recipe was updated on 22 Apr 2015. Some instructions and ingredient quantities were changed.

 

So what do you do if you have some defrosted sea cucumber left over after making the Sea Cucumber with Shiitake Mushrooms (冬菇海參, Dung¹ Gu¹ Hoi² Sam¹) recipe? You look on the internet for some ideas, where I found recipes using pork spareribs and sea cucumber. So I adapted the Sea Cucumber with Shiitake Mushrooms recipe to add pork spareribs. The combination actually tastes pretty good. Try it, you’ll like it.

 

Enjoy!

Ingredients

 

1 lb.	500 g.	Pork spareribs (排骨, paai4 gwat1), cut into 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)
12 oz.	350 g.	Frozen black sea cucumber (海參, hoi2 sam1), thawed, cleaned, and cut into ¾-inch (2 cm.) pieces
12 oz.	350 g.	Frozen white sea cucumber (海參, hoi2 sam1), thawed, cleaned, and cut into ¾-inch (2 cm.) pieces
12	12	Dried Shiitake mushrooms (冬菇, dung1 gu1), rehydrated
3 slices	3 slices	Ginger (薑, goeng1)
1 lb.	500 g.	Carrots (紅蘿蔔, hung4 lo4 baak6), cut into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces on the diagonal
8 oz.	227 g.	One package fried tofu (魚豆腐, jyu4 dau6 fu6)
3 stalks	3 stalks	Green onions (葱, cung1), 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
		Brandy (白蘭地, baak6 laan4 dei6) to deglaze the wok or pan

 

Sauce Ingredients

2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Lee Kum Kee brand premium oyster sauce (蠔油, hou4 jau4) or equivalent
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.	Brandy (白蘭地, baak6 laan4 dei6)
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)
		Shiitake mushroom rehydration liquid or chicken stock
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Corn starch (粟粉, suk1 fan2)
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Brandy (白蘭地, baak6 laan4 dei6)

 

Equipment

		Garlic press
		Slotted spoon
8 qt.	7.5 L.	Pot to cook the dish
14 in.	35.5 cm.	Wok or pan to brown the ingredients

 

Preparation Instructions

1. Defrost the frozen black and white sea cucumbers overnight in the refrigerator.
2. Pour boiling water over the dried Shiitake mushrooms in a heat proof bowl and rehydrate the mushrooms for at least one hour.
3. The pork spareribs can be purchased already cut into 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces or have your butcher cut the spareribs into pieces for you. Wet with water and add baking soda to the pork, allow to tenderize for 30 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.
4. 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.
5. Remove the Shiitake mushrooms from the rehydration liquid, remove the stems, and cut them into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces. Reserve the rehydration liquid for later use in the cooking process.
6. Clean the thawed sea cucumbers by first making a single cut the length of the sea cucumber. Remove the intestines by running your finger the length of the sea cucumber. Wash the cleaned sea cucumber under cold running water. Cut the sea cucumber into ¾-inch (2 cm.) pieces.
7. Open the fried tofu package and discard any liquid.
8. Cut three thin slices of ginger.
9. Wash and cut the carrots on the diagonal into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces.
10. Crush the ginger and garlic in a garlic press and put into a small bowl.
11. Wash and cut the green onions into 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces.
12. Prepare and mix the sauce in a small bowl: add the Lee Kum Kee brand premium oyster sauce or equivalent, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, brandy, ground white pepper, and sesame oil. In another small bowl, prepare the corn starch slurry by mixing the corn starch and brandy together.

Cooking Instructions

1. Pour the entire container with the pork spareribs and marinade into the pot that eventually will cook the dish. Remove the pork spareribs from the pot with a slotted spoon and place the pork back into the container, leaving the marinade in the pot. Removing the marinade makes browning the pork spareribs easier (ideally the spareribs would be dry).
2. Heat a wok or pan over high heat before adding oil. Add the pork spareribs to the wok in a single layer on the bottom and brown the outside. You may have to cook the pork in batches, so be sure to reheat the wok over high heat before adding more oil. Put the pork into the cooking pot.
3. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the fried tofu. Stir fry the fried tofu and then remove them to the cooking pot with the spareribs.
4. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the bowl with the ginger and garlic. Quickly stir fry the ginger and garlic until fragrant before adding more oil and then the carrots. Add some liquid (water, stock, or brandy) to facilitate heat transfer and stir fry the ingredients. Stir fry to brown the carrots before adding the contents into the cooking pot with the spareribs.
5. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the ginger slices. Briefly stir fry the ginger slices before adding the Shiitake mushrooms. Stir fry the mushrooms for 1-2 minutes before adding the sea cucumber. Stir fry for another 1-2 minutes before adding some brandy to deglaze the pan. Put the contents of the wok into the cooking pot with the spareribs.
6. Add the contents of the bowl with the sauce to the cooking pot before adding chicken stock or mushroom rehydration liquid. Add enough liquid to almost cover most of the ingredients in the pot. Bring the pot to a boil over high heat and then simmer for 20 minutes over low heat.
7. Turn off the heat to the cooking pot before adding the green onions and mixing in the corn starch slurry. Bring the pot to a boil over high heat to thicken the sauce. Turn off the heat, place the contents of the pot into a serving dish, and serve with steamed rice.