P
Chinese · Guangdong Province
Cantonese Steamed Spare Ribs with Black Bean (Dou Chi Zheng Pai Gu)
Steamed spare ribs with black bean and chili are one of the most ordered dim sum items globally. Small pork spare rib pieces are marinated with fermented black beans (dou chi), garlic, chili, soy, and sesame oil, then steamed in a dish. The ribs must be cut small (3–4cm pieces), marinated at least 30 minutes, and steamed until the fat renders and the meat is tender but not falling apart.
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I
The Market List
The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.
600 g
pork spare ribs
cut into 3–4 cm pieces
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
For the marinade
2 tbsp
fermented black beans (dou chi)
rinsed lightly, roughly mashed
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
3 cloves
garlic
finely chopped
Your own market
1–2
red chillies
sliced
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1 tbsp
soy sauce
1 tsp
sesame oil
Your own market
1 tbsp
cornstarch
Origin · ChinaWismettac · Vancouver →
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II
The Method
1
Cut the spare ribs into pieces of no more than 3–4 cm. This is not a matter of preference: smaller pieces cook through evenly and remain manageable to eat. Pieces larger than this will be overdone at the surface before the interior reaches temperature. The cut is correct when each piece is uniform and bite-sized.
2
Rinse the fermented black beans lightly under cold water to remove excess surface salt, then mash them roughly — not to a paste, but broken enough to release their character. Combine with the chopped garlic, sliced chilli, soy sauce, sesame oil, and cornstarch. Add the rib pieces and work the marinade thoroughly into the meat. Leave to marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes. The marinade has penetrated sufficiently when the surface of the meat is no longer pale but carries the dark, aromatic stain of the black bean.
3
Arrange the marinated ribs in a single, close layer in a shallow heatproof dish. Do not drain off any marinade. This is where the dish lives or dies: the cornstarch and marinade pooling beneath the ribs will transform during steaming into the sauce that defines the eating experience — draining it away before or after steaming is the one irrecoverable error.
4
Set the dish over a wok or steamer at a rolling boil. Cover and steam for 12–15 minutes, maintaining vigorous steam throughout. The ribs are done when the fat has rendered visibly into the sauce, the meat has pulled fractionally from the bone, and an internal temperature of 72°C minimum is reached. The meat should be tender but not falling apart — it must hold its shape when lifted.
5
Serve immediately in the steaming dish. The accumulated black bean sauce at the base of the dish is integral. It is not a byproduct.
III
Quality Hierarchy
01
Reserve — Yangjiang-brand fermented black beans, widely regarded as the benchmark; ribs from a heritage-breed pork with well-developed fat; marinade deepened with a small addition of fermented tofu (fu ru).
02
Estate — Named-brand dou chi of known provenance; free-range pork ribs with good fat cover; all aromatics fresh and unbruised.
03
Market — Standard supermarket fermented black beans; conventional pork spare ribs cut to specification by the butcher; fresh garlic and chilli.
04
House — Any available dou chi, rinsed well to correct for excess salt; ribs cut at home with a heavy cleaver; the dish remains recognisable at this level provided the marination time and steam temperature are observed.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Sight. The fat has rendered visibly into the sauce pooled beneath the ribs; the meat surface is opaque and lightly coloured from the black bean marinade.
◇Touch. A rib piece, when lifted, holds its shape and offers slight resistance — tender but not collapsing from the bone.
◇Smell. A concentrated, deeply savoury steam rises from the dish — fermented black bean, garlic, and rendered pork fat in balance.
◇Sight. The marinade has thickened into a light, glossy sauce at the base of the dish — the cornstarch has done its work.
◇Where it lives or dies. The dish lives or dies in step three: the marinade and cornstarch must remain in the dish throughout steaming, as they form the sauce that is inseparable from the eating experience.
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VI
What to Pour
Pu-erh tea, the canonical dim sum pairing, cuts the richness of the pork fat and complements the fermented register of the black bean. A light, off-dry Riesling performs the same function in a wine context, its acidity and faint residual sugar countering the savoury depth without competing with the garlic and chilli.
The whole pairingPillar VII
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Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
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