Kitchen Recipe Collection
Steamed Pork Ribs with Black Bean Sauce (Chi Zhi Pai Gu)
A staple of Cantonese Dim Sum, but heavily enjoyed as a dinner dish at home. Small nuggets of pork spare ribs coated in starch and steamed until slippery, tender, and infused with savory black beans.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 50 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- easy
- Cuisine
- Chinese
Ingredients
Scaled for 4 servings
- 500g pork spare ribs, chopped crosswise into small 1-inch nuggets
- 1 1/2 tbsp fermented black beans (Douchi), rinsed and mashed
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
- 2 tbsp potato starch or cornstarch
- 1 small red chili, finely sliced (optional)
- 1 scallion, chopped
Equipment
- Steamer
- Heat-proof serving plate
Instructions
- 1
Clean the Ribs
Rinse the chopped ribs under cold running water for 10 minutes until the water runs clear and the meat looks slightly pale. This removes blood and 'porky' smells.
- 2
Dry the Ribs
Drain the ribs and pat them completely dry with paper towels.
- 3
Prepare Marinade
In a bowl, mix the mashed black beans, minced garlic, wine, soy sauce, sugar, and oil.
- 4
Marinate
Massage the marinade thoroughly into the ribs. Let sit for 15-30 minutes.
- 5
Coat with Starch
Right before steaming, add the potato starch to the ribs. Toss well until the ribs are coated in a thick, sticky paste.
- 6
Arrange on Plate
Spread the ribs out in a single layer on a shallow, heat-proof plate. Do not stack them, or they will cook unevenly.
- 7
Garnish
Sprinkle the sliced red chili over the top.
- 8
Boil Water
Bring the water in your steamer to a violent, rolling boil.
- 9
Steam
Place the plate of ribs into the steamer. Cover tightly.
- 10
Cook
Steam on maximum heat for 12 to 15 minutes. The meat should turn white, and the starch will form a glossy, translucent coating.
- 11
Rest
Turn off the heat and let sit for 1 minute before carefully removing the hot plate.
- 12
Serve
Garnish with fresh chopped scallions and serve immediately. The resulting juices at the bottom of the plate are amazing over rice.
Cooking Tips
- Potato starch is better than cornstarch here; it provides the signature 'slippery' texture found in dim sum restaurants.
- The washing step is crucial. Dim sum chefs wash the ribs for up to an hour to get them perfectly white and bouncy.
Variations
- Taro Bottom: It is very common to place cubes of taro or pumpkin at the bottom of the plate to soak up the delicious pork juices.
Nutrition Estimate
320 calories · 20g protein · 6g carbs · 24g fat · 0g fiber per serving
