Steamed Pork Ribs with Black Bean Sauce 豉汁蒸排骨 is a very popular Cantonese dim sum dish. Some people love the silky soft texture of the ribs and/or the unique taste of the fermented black beans. I must admit that I am not a fan of this dish because I often taste the alkaline flavour in the meat. I don’t like the baking soda or 小蘇打 velveting technique used by most Cantonese restaurants.
People who have read my posts before know that I don’t like using baking soda to marinate meats. Ever since I was a kid, I knew I had a very sensitive sense of smell. As I got older, I realized that my sense of taste seems to be more sensitive too. Being born in the Year of the Dog, I often thought it was quite fitting! I never liked eating stir-fried meats at Cantonese restaurants.
As a kid, I hated going to dim sum lunches because I couldn’t stand the smell of the bamboo steam baskets 蒸籠. There used to be dim sum carts filled with them and I’d lose my appetite. My parents would order a soy chicken vermicelli for me plus sesame pudding rolls 芝麻卷 and that would be all for me. Anything out of a bamboo steamer, I’d gag. There’s always the odd relative who would say I shouldn’t be a picky eater and would make me try something. Once, I was made to try steamed beef balls 山竹牛肉, and I almost threw up. They never made me try anything again!
Luckily for me, dim sum carts became obsolete (still around in a few restaurants), so I don’t automatically lose my appetite when I go into the restaurant. As I got older, my sense of smell is not so sensitive anymore. But I still don’t like the foods that use baking soda on meats. But obviously, lots of people don’t mind it which is why I wanted to make a Dim Sum Style Steamed Pork Ribs with Black Bean Sauce 酒樓豉汁蒸排骨 recipe. In the recipe, I also tell you how to make it home-style, which is what I like.
Whether you like dim sum style or home-style, my Steamed Pork Ribs with Black Bean Sauce 豉汁蒸排骨 recipe will show you how.
Love dim sum? Check out my other dim sum recipes. A favourite of mine is the Crystal Scallop Dumplings 水晶帶子餃. The skin is easy to make and even easier to use!
Steamed Pork Ribs with Black Bean Sauce 豉汁蒸排骨
Ingredients
- 500 g Pork riblets
- 15 g Fermented black beans
- 4 cloves Garlic
- 1 Thai chili (or any chili)
- 1 tbsp Oyster sauce
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 2 tsp Light soy sauce
- 3 tsp Cornstarch
- 1 tsp Baking soda
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- ¼ tsp White pepper powder
- 1 stalk Green onions
- 2 tsp White vinegar
- 1 tsp Salt
- 2 tsp Oil
Instructions
- Clean and rinse off bone fragments from riblets.
- Put the riblets into a mixing bowl, add water to cover the riblets, add 1 tsp salt and 2 tsp white vinegar. Mix well. Soak for 30 minutes.
The salt will remove unwanted odours and impurities from the meat and the vinegar will help the meat loosen from the bone after steaming 
- Toast fermented black beans in a toaster oven or in a wok for 3 minutes or until aromatic. Do not add oil
Replacing fermented black beans with black bean sauce will not give you restaurant dim sum style and you’ll need to adjust the other ingredients in the marinade - Mince 4 cloves of garlic and set aside
- Wash green onions. Cut into 2-3 sections and smash it with the side of your cleaver. Set aside
You may want to chop up some of the green parts and save it as a garnish for after steaming - Mince chili and set aside
- After 30 minutes in the brine, rinse the ribs three times to remove the salt and vinegar. Squeeze the ribs with your hands to remove excess water.
Omit steps 8 and 9 if you do not want Dim Sum Style Put the riblets into a mixing bowl. Add water to cover all the riblets and add 1 tsp baking soda. Mix well and soak for 2 hours - After 2 hours, rinse off baking soda by running water onto the ribs for 5 minutes squeeze out excess water
- Let dry in a colander for 30 minutes or absorb with paper towels
Riblets should be quite light in colour as most of the blood has been rinsed away. Riblets need to be quite dry so that they can absorb the marinade better resulting in more flavourful meat - Marinate the riblets with 1 tbsp Oyster sauce, 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine, 2 tsp light soy sauce, 2 tsp cornstarch, 1 tsp sugar, ¼ tsp white pepper powder, minced garlic, fermented black beans and green onions.
- Use your hand to squeeze the riblets and mix it around to help the riblets absorb all the marinade. Do this for 2-3 minutes
- Put everything into a zipper bag and put in the fridge to marinate for at least 3 hours. You may also choose to marinate overnight in the fridge
- After the marinating period, pour contents of the zipper bag into a mixing bowl. Discard the green onion and mix again
- Add 1 tsp cornstarch and mix well
- Add 2 tsp oil and mix well
- Put everything onto a steaming plate, top with chopped chilis and steam on high heat for 10-15 minutes or until done
steaming time will depend on how big your riblets are. Riblets from Chinese butchers will generally be smaller in size than from a western butcher - Add green onions for garnish and serve
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