Steamed Pork Baby Back Ribs with Shrimp Sauce (幼滑蝦醬蒸排骨, Jau3 Waat6 Haa1 Zoeng3 Zing1 Paai4 Gwat1)

 

This recipe was updated on 19 Jul 2015. Some instructions and ingredient quantities were changed.

Shrimp sauce, consisting of ground fermented shrimp and salt, is a funny looking, unnatural purple colored sauce, which has a distinctive taste and strong smell. However once cooked, the sauce loses the smell, but keeps its unique salty taste. When coated on with pork baby back ribs, topped with crushed garlic and ginger, and steamed, the combination tastes great. So don’t let your nose prevent you from trying this dish.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

1.5 lb.	700 g.	Pork baby back ribs (排骨, paai4 gwat1), cut into individual ribs
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Lee Kum Kee brand shrimp sauce (幼滑蝦醬, jau3 waat6 haa1 zoeng3) or equivalent
½ Tbs.	7.5 ml.	Hoisin sauce (海鮮醬, hoi2 sin1 zoeng3)
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Shaoxing rice wine (紹興酒, siu6 hing1 zau2) or dry sherry
2 cloves	2 cloves	Garlic (蒜, syun3), crushed in a garlic press
1 slice	1 slice	Ginger (薑, goeng1), crushed in a garlic press
		Water for steaming

 

Equipment

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

 

Lee Kum Kee Brand Shrimp Sauce
(幼滑蝦醬, jau3 waat6 haa1 zoeng3)

Instructions

1. Wash and cut the pork baby back ribs into individual pieces. The number of ribs that will fit into a plate will depend upon the size of ribs and the plate or bowl used for steaming. For a 9-inch (23 cm.) plate, approximately 8 ribs (about ½ a rack of baby back ribs) can be used.
2. Make the sauce in a small bowl: mix together the Lee Kum Kee brand shrimp sauce or equivalent, hoisin sauce, and Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry. You want to make a paste, so you can reduce the amount of Shaoxing rice wine before the mixture becomes too liquid.
3. Apply the sauce to the ribs and coat every surface with the paste. Arrange the pork baby back ribs in the steaming plate and top with a mixture crushed garlic and ginger.
4. Add water to the steamer and cover. Bring the water in the steamer to a vigorous boil before adding the plate with the pork baby back ribs and steam on high heat for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium to medium-low and steam for another 25 minutes.
5. At the end of the cooking time, use a plate lifter to remove the plate with the pork baby back ribs from the steamer. Serve with steamed rice.