Pai Gwut

Pai Gwut: Steamed black bean pork ribs

The sweet and succulent rib delicacies are usually served up as part of yum cha, but I see no reason to relegate them to a weeny part of a yum cha spread when I love them so much.

You can get any Chinese butcher to chop your ribs – ask them to chop then ‘for steaming’ and you’ll get the right size. If you do it yourself make sure you have a strong cleaver and chop them into bite size 1-2cm square pieces. I don’t know how authentic the following recipe is, but my god it tastes good!

For about 1 kg of chopped ribs, marinate for 30 minutes in a mixture of:

1 tsp chopped or grated garlic
1 tsp grated ginger
1 red chilli, chopped
½ tsp sesame oil
2 tbsp corn flour (yes, tablespoons)
2 tsp sugar
2 tbsp slated black beans, rinsed well and drained. I like to use ‘3 rings’ brand
1 tbsp peanut oil
1 tbsp shaoxing rice wine
1 tbsp soy sauce

Divide ribs and marinade into small bowls and steam for 30 -40 minutes until tender.

Serve as part of yum cha or with rice or noodles.