STEAMED PORK RIBS WITH BLACK BEAN (CHI ZHI ZHENG PAI GU)

Rinse the rib pieces under cold water, then cover with fresh cold water and soak for 30 minutes so that the blood is drawn out gradually from the interior of the meat rather than merely rinsed from the surface. Drain and pat dry. The water will have turned noticeably clearer by the end of the soak.

Combine the chopped fermented black beans, minced garlic, grated ginger, soy sauce, oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine, cornstarch, sesame oil, white pepper, and sugar in a bowl large enough to hold the ribs. Add the ribs and turn to coat thoroughly, pressing the marinade in so the cornstarch leaves a light, even film on every surface — this thin coating holds the aromatics against the meat during steaming and keeps the juices from running off into the bowl. Marinate at room temperature for a minimum of 30 minutes, or refrigerated for 4–8 hours; the longer time produces noticeably deeper penetration of the black bean.

Arrange the marinated ribs in a single layer in a shallow heatproof bowl or plate, taking care not to pile or overlap them so that live steam can reach every surface and the pieces cook evenly through. Bring a wok or steamer base to a vigorous boil with sufficient water, set the bowl on a rack above the water ensuring the base does not sit in the liquid, and cover tightly so no steam escapes and the temperature inside holds steady.

Steam over vigorously boiling water for 12–15 minutes; at 12 minutes, press the meat at its thickest point near the bone — it should yield easily and spring back very gently, and the meat will have pulled back slightly from the bone. This is where the dish lives or dies: the window between cooked and overcooked for pieces of this size is approximately 3 minutes, and the difference in the press test between right and too far is unmistakable once you know it. If the meat still feels firm and dense, return the lid and steam for a further 2 minutes.

Remove the bowl from the steamer; the ribs should be glistening from rendered fat and marinade, the black beans swollen, dark, and uniformly distributed, the meat visibly pulled from the bone. Finish immediately with a few drops of sesame oil and the chopped spring onion, so the residual heat of the bowl opens the aromatics without cooking off their fragrance. Serve at once in the steaming vessel.