Black Bean Spareribs: Steamed Pork Ribs in Douchi

Steamed spareribs in black bean sauce, si jap pai gwat (豉汁蒸排骨) in Cantonese, are small, bite-sized pieces of pork rib marinated with fermented black beans, garlic and a touch of starch, then steamed in a shallow dish. The meat turns tender and slightly springy, and the marinade becomes a glossy, savoury sauce that pools around it. It is a fixture of the dim sum table, and it says a great deal about the Cantonese way with seasoning.

The taste of fermented black beans

The heart of the dish is douchi (豆豉), black soybeans that have been cooked, fermented, salted and dried. They look like small, wrinkled black pebbles and taste intensely savoury, with a gentle, wine-like depth. Fermented beans are among the oldest seasonings in Chinese cooking; they are mentioned in texts from the Han dynasty, and archaeologists have reported finding them in tombs of that era.

In Guangdong, the town of Yangjiang is especially known for its fermented black beans. Cantonese cooks typically rinse them, chop them roughly and combine them with garlic, so the beans perfume the dish rather than overpower it. Black bean sauce, in the sense of this marinade, appears throughout Cantonese cooking, with clams, beef, bitter melon and steamed fish.

How the dish is made

Steamed spareribs look simple, but small choices decide whether they are tender or tough.

• The cut. Spareribs are chopped across the bone into small, even pieces, so each one cooks through quickly.
• The rinse. The pieces are often washed and drained well, which helps the meat stay pale and clean-tasting.
• The marinade. Chopped black beans, garlic, a little sugar, soy, oil and starch coat each piece. The starch is what turns the juices into a silky sauce.
• The rest. The ribs sit in the marinade for a while to absorb flavour.
• The steam. A short, fierce steam cooks the ribs just through; too long and the meat dries out.

Many kitchens add slices of red chilli or a scattering of scallion for colour. The finished dish should be juicy, glossy and savoury, with garlic and black bean in balance.

Small bones, good manners

First-time guests sometimes hesitate over the bones. At dim sum, nobody expects you to eat these with a knife and fork. Pick up a piece with chopsticks, nibble the meat from the bone and set the small bones on your side plate. The pieces are cut small precisely so this is easy, and the cartilage at the ends is a favourite of many regulars.

The sauce is too good to waste. Many people spoon it over rice or, at dim sum, let it soak into whatever sits beneath the ribs.

Why pumpkin works

Some kitchens steam the ribs on a layer of taro, rice noodles or, in our case, pumpkin. The pumpkin softens in the steam and drinks up the black bean juices, so it arrives sweet, savoury and tender, a good counterpoint to the richer pork. It also makes the dish a little more substantial for sharing.

Black bean spareribs at Neptune Palace

Our Spareribs with Pumpkin in Black Bean Sauce (豉香南瓜蒸排骨, menu 110) are on the steamed dim sum menu at both Neptune Palace locations, in Vancouver at Marine Gateway and in Burnaby at The Amazing Brentwood. Like all our dim sum, they are house-made and steamed to order.

They pair naturally with lighter dishes such as har gow or rice rolls, and if you enjoy them, our clay pot rice with spareribs and chicken feet is a heartier way to enjoy them. Dim sum is served every day until 3pm; for weekend tables, calling ahead is recommended.

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