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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.