Steamed Spareribs with Black Bean Sauce

Steamed spareribs with black bean sauce is my favorite dimsum dish. I always have to have it when we go for dimsum. Of course, I love the other dimsum offerings, too, but this one takes the cake.

This is usually made with ribtips--makes it easier to eat, but that day at the Asian market, they did not have ribtips, so I used regular pork ribs, cubed and cut by the butcher (ala sinigang style). This dish is so simple to make. Just marinade for 30 minutes and after placing it in the steamer for about 1 hour, you practically can forget about it and do other things (like chores). You will have no trouble remembering to eat it, because it's so fragrant and oh-so-mouth watering while cooking.

Here's how I made it. I got a basic recipe online and I added some "kick":

2 lbs rib tips or ribs, cubed with bone, cut crosswise into 1 inch sections
2 T garlic black bean sauce
1 T wine (red, white, Chinese, cooking sake--whatever you have on hand)
2 t cornstarch
1 T chopped up ginger (or grated on a microplane, if you have one)
1 t garlic (you can use the store-bought chopped kind, but careful not to use too much as you're already using garlic black bean sauce)
1/4 t black pepper
1 t sesame oil
1 T sugar
1/2 t crushed red pepper flakes (more if you like heat)
scallions for garnish

1. Combine all ingredients (except scallions) and marinade for about 30 minutes. Transfer to a heat proof dish that will fit in the steamer.
2. Steam for about 1 hour or until ribs are tender. Always ensure there is enough water in the steamer.
3. When ready to serve, garnish with scallions. The ribs will extract some water during the cooking process and you don't have to use this. I "fished out" the ribs from the sauce to serve it.

Tip: The Chinese bamboo steamer works just as great as an electric steamer. I tried this dish in both and both came out tender after about 1 hour in either.

Enjoy!