CANTONESE HOME COOKING
Steamed Pork Ribs with Black Beans
豉汁蒸排骨
Small pork-rib pieces steamed with fermented black beans and garlic. Learn which beans to buy, how to arrange the dish and how to check doneness. Not yet kitchen-tested.
By Canto Hearth Editorial · Source-informed recipe. Not yet kitchen-tested by us.
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Let’s cook.
Prepare the beans and dish
Read the douchi package directions. Briefly rinse and drain very salty beans if the packaging permits, then roughly crush them. Choose a heatproof dish wide enough to hold the ribs in one layer, with a rim to catch their juices.
Coat the ribs
Keep raw pork and its utensils separate from ready-to-eat food. Pat the pieces dry with kitchen paper. Mix with garlic, beans, soy sauce, cornstarch, sugar, wine, sesame oil and pepper until lightly coated. Refrigerate for 15 minutes while you set up the steamer; this resting period is an editorial starting point.
Steam in one layer
Arrange the ribs in the dish without a thick mound. Place above boiling water and cover the steamer. Maintain steady steam and begin checking at about 20 minutes. The source's time is a reference, not a promise for different cuts or a crowded dish.
Check the thickest pieces
Insert a clean food thermometer into the thickest meat without touching bone. Check several pieces for a centre temperature of at least 75°C. Continue steaming if needed. Tenderness is a separate check: properly cooked ribs may still have some chew rather than falling off the bone.
Bring to the table
Remove carefully with oven mitts and let the fierce steam subside. Spoon a little of the cooking juices over rice. Warn diners about small bones, and do not taste any leftover raw marinade.
Small details, better cooking.
- Equipment: steamer or lidded pot and rack, rimmed heatproof dish, tongs and food thermometer.
- Douchi are fermented soybeans. A jar of black bean garlic sauce is already a seasoned sauce, so it is not a direct spoon-for-spoon replacement.
- A deep pile changes the steaming time. If scaling up, use more dishes or cook in batches.
- Chill leftovers in a covered container within two hours at 4°C or below; reheat thoroughly only once.
Working with what you have
Shaoxing wine
The same small volume of water
Keeps the marinade loose but loses the wine's aroma. This is an alcohol-free variation, not the same flavour.
Fermented black soybeans
No exact pantry substitute
Canned black beans do not provide fermented flavour. A ready-made black bean sauce needs its own retest and seasoning adjustment.
Toasted sesame oil
Omit
Removes the sesame aroma. Check all other ingredient labels if avoiding sesame for allergy reasons.
Need a unit conversion? Open kitchen tools. For ingredients, visit the pantry.
Questions from the kitchen
Can I use a whole rack of ribs?
Not with this schedule. The method is intended for small cross-cut pieces that fit in a single layer. Ask the butcher to cut them rather than trying to force a knife through bone.
Are black beans the same as douchi?
No. Look for salted or fermented black soybeans, often labelled douchi. Ordinary cooked black beans give neither the same seasoning nor aroma.
How do I know the pork is done?
Measure the centre of several thick pieces with a thermometer, keeping its probe away from bone. This draft follows Hong Kong CFS guidance of at least 75°C; colour and a 20-minute timer are not enough on their own.
Sources & editorial notes
Independently written in English using the references below. Timing and ingredient adjustments still need home-kitchen validation. No source photographs or text are reproduced without permission.
- 蒜蓉豆豉蒸肉排【如何去豬肉異味】 — 基絲汀@簡易食譜. Accessed 2026-09-26.
- 食物安全五要點備忘錄 — 香港食物安全中心. Accessed 2026-09-26.
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