Steamed Spare Ribs with Black Bean Sauce
A dim sum classic: bite-size pork spare ribs marinated with fermented black beans, garlic and chili, then steamed until tender and juicy in their own savoury sauce. Simple to make at home.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Soak the ribs
Put the ribs in a bowl, cover with cold water, and let sit 15 minutes to pull out some blood for a cleaner taste. Drain and pat completely dry with paper towels.
- 600g pork spare ribs
- 1 liter cold water
✅ Done when: water looks slightly pink and ribs are dry to the touch
Season the ribs
Mix the dried ribs with the black beans, garlic, chili, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sugar and salt. Stir in the cornstarch and neutral oil, then cover and leave at least 30 minutes (or overnight in the fridge) so the ribs absorb the flavors.
- 600g soaked ribs, from step 1
- 2 tbsp
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 fresh red chili
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp
- 1 tsp sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 1½ tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
✅ Done when: ribs are evenly coated in a thick, glossy paste
Steam the ribs
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Serve
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Soak the ribs
Put the ribs in a bowl, cover with cold water, and let sit 15 minutes to pull out some blood for a cleaner taste. Drain and pat completely dry with paper towels.
- 600g pork spare ribs
- 1 liter cold water
✅ Done when: water looks slightly pink and ribs are dry to the touch
Season the ribs
Mix the dried ribs with the black beans, garlic, chili, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sugar and salt. Stir in the cornstarch and neutral oil, then cover and leave at least 30 minutes (or overnight in the fridge) so the ribs absorb the flavors.
- 600g soaked ribs, from step 1
- 2 tbsp
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 fresh red chili
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp
- 1 tsp sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 1½ tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
✅ Done when: ribs are evenly coated in a thick, glossy paste
Steam the ribs
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Serve
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The Story Behind the Dish
Steamed spare ribs are one of the essential dishes of yum cha, the Cantonese ritual of tea and dim sum. They arrive in small bamboo steamers alongside har gow and siu mai.
Fermented black beans (dou si) — soybeans salted and fermented until black — have been used in Chinese cooking for over 2,000 years.
⭐ Why It's Famous
Steaming keeps the ribs incredibly juicy, while the black beans and garlic give a deep, savoury punch.
💡 Fun Fact
Fermented black beans are one of the oldest preserved foods in China — samples have been found in a Han dynasty tomb from around 165 BC.
Guangzhou, Guangdong
23.13°N, 113.26°E
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