Steamed Lemon Garlic Black Bean Pork Baby Back Ribs (檸蒜蓉豆豉蒸排骨, Ning4 Syun1 Jung4 Dau6 Si6 Zing1 Paai4 Gwat1)

Steaming is one of my favorite methods to cook pork spareribs since the cooking time is relatively quick when compared to other methods. Using salted black beans with garlic is a classic Cantonese preparation with steamed pork spareribs, which are usually cut into 1- to 2-inch pieces. I also use this method for whole pork baby back ribs, which are just as tasty. The added twist to the recipe is the addition of lemon juice just before steaming, which adds another flavor to the dish. You can prepare this dish ahead of time (i.e. the night before) and even used a prepared black bean garlic sauce (I recommend the Lee Kum Kee brand), but don’t add the lemon juice until just before the dish is steamed.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 lb.	500 g.	7 to 8 pork baby back ribs (排骨, paai4 gwat1), cut into individual ribs
½ in.	15 mm.	Knob of ginger (薑, goeng1), finely minced
4 cloves	4 cloves	Garlic (蒜, syun3), finely minced
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Salted black beans (豆豉, dau6 si6)
1 Tbs.	15 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
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	1	Lemon (檸, ning4), quartered lengthwise

 

Equipment

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

 

Instructions

1. Depending upon the size of your steaming bowl, you’ll only need 7-8 individual pork baby back ribs to make this dish. Since pork baby back ribs usually are packaged as a full rack, you’ll use only a portion of the full rack to make this dish. The remainder of the pork ribs can be used for other dishes.
2. Remove the membrane from the back of the spareribs. Use your fingers or a small knife to poke under the membrane starting at the end with the largest rib bone and then pull the membrane the length of the spareribs towards the smaller bones. You usually have to do this in stages especially if the membrane doesn’t come off all at once and in one piece. Cut enough ribs from the full rack to fill the steaming plate (about 7-8 ribs). Place the pork baby back ribs into the steaming plate.
3. 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 it to the bowl. Add Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry, ground white pepper, and sesame oil to the bowl and mix the ingredients together to form a paste. Reduce the amount of Shaoxing rice wine if the mixture becomes too loose. Spread the paste on top of the pork baby back ribs in the steaming plate.
4. Wash and quarter a lemon lengthwise. Squeeze the juice from each lemon quarter onto the pork baby back ribs in the steaming plate and then place the lemon quarters into the steaming plate.
5. Add water to the steamer and cover. Bring the water in the steamer to a vigorous boil before adding 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. At the end of the cooking time, use a plate lifter to remove the plate with the pork ribs from the steamer. Serve with steamed rice.