Steamed Pork Rib in Spicy Black Bean Sauce

Black bean is another widely-used seasoning in Chinese cooking, which can be found in many western countries in the form of pre-mixed black bean sauce in jars. It is usually made from fermented soya beans, or sometimes fermented black beans; and not to be confused with the raw black bean on its own.

What we have here is a tasty, steamed pork rib in spicy black bean sauce. You can try it without the chilies, or just simply try our non-spicy Black Bean Sauce Pork Rib.

Ingredients:

• 500g pork rib
• 5 tablespoons fermented black bean
• 3 red chilies, cut into fine strips
• 3-4 dried sour plums
• 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2-thumb-size ginger, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons light soya sauce
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon rice wine

Preparation:

1. Chop the pork rib into bite size, and marinate it with a pinch of salt and freshly-ground pepper.
2. Shell the dried sour plum, chop it into fine pieces, and mix it with soya sauce, brown sugar, and rice wine.
3. In a large saucepan, heat sesame oil on low, stir in the black bean, chilies, garlic and ginger. Shallow-fry the mixture for a few minutes.
4. Add in the pork rib and lightly brown it on high heat, then add in the sour plum and soya sauce mixture from step 2.
5. Add in 1 cup of water, keep cooking till it is boiled.
6. Remove from heat and pour it into a serving dish. Place it in a steamer and steam for 30 minutes.
7. Serve with steaming-hot boiled rice.