This popular and delicious dim sum dish is actually a breeze to make at home. The hardest part is cutting the spare ribs into riblets - something I don't recommend doing yourself. Your best bet is to have your butcher do this or, even better, buy them pre-cut at many Asian markets. I recently even found these at Costco! Some recipes call for the addition of oyster sauce and/or light soy sauce in the marinade. I myself prefer just salt, sugar, white pepper, sesame oil and Shaoxing wine so as not to turn the juices too dark after steaming. The baking soda treatment helps to render the pork extra tender.
INGREDIENTS:
2 lbs. pork riblets (St. Louis-style ribs cut through the bone lengthwise in sections)*
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tbsp. water
MARINADE:
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. white pepper
2 tbsp. Shaoxing wine
2 tsp. sesame oil
2 tbsp. water
4 tbsp. cornstarch
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
3 tbsp. fermented black beans, rinsed in a colander
1 Fresno chile, seeded and thinly sliced
2 scallions, minced
*Have your butcher do this, or you can find these in most Asian markets and Costco
1. Mix 1 tsp. baking soda and 2 tbsp. water together in a small bowl; rub the baking soda mixture all over the pork ribs, place into a shallow baking dish, cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 1 hour. This helps to tenderize the meat.
2. After 1 hour, rinse the pork riblets thoroughly under running water and pat dry with paper towels.
3. Cut the riblets between the bones into 1 1/2" pieces and place into a bowl.
4. Add the marinade ingredients to the pork and stir well to combine (I like to use gloved hands for this). Cover and refrigerate a minimum of 6 hours or preferably overnight.
5. Place a metal steamer over a wok or pot of water.
6. Place 3 tbsp. fermented black beans in a small colander and rinse well under running water; set aside.
7. Add 4 tbsp. cornstarch to the pork and mix together well (add in small amounts of water if too dry). Add in 1 tbsp. oil and combine.
8. Place the pork pieces evenly onto a shallow round baking dish. Top with the rinsed fermented black beans and thinly sliced Fresno chiles; put the dish into the steamer, cover and turn the heat up to high.
9. Once the water comes to a boil, steam for 10-15 minutes until the pork is cooked through.
10. If desired, garnish with minced scallions before serving.
St. Louis-style spare ribs, cut across the bones into riblets.
Cut the riblets into 1 1/2" pieces.
Fermented black beans
Rinse the beans under running water to remove some of the salt.
Thinly slice the Fresno chile.
Place the pork in an even layer in a shallow baking dish; top with rinsed beans and chiles.
Steam on high for 10-15 minutes.
Great served with steamed white rice.
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