Steamed Spareribs with Black Beans are your favorite dim sum made quick and easy right in your own home! With juicy pork ribs and flavorful sauce, they’re perfect with rice.

My daughter, Liane, has been living on her own for a while now, ever since she took a nursing position in Northern California a couple of years ago. Although I am already used to her being miles away, I still miss my big brat terribly. Not only do I long for our long conversations about anything and everything, but I also miss our many nashville filipino restaurant adventures.
Eating out and discovering new restaurants have always been our bonding activity. We both enjoy Korean BBQs and all-you-can-eat sushi but our most favorite is dim sum. We used to go once a week when she was in college and we’d always pile our table with mini bowls and plates of congee, chicken feet, dumplings, and of course, steamed spareribs with black beans.
I was craving for these delectable pork ribs this weekend but since going to a dim sum house all by myself wouldn’t have been as much fun, I decided to make them at home. And if I may say so, they turned out just as delicious nashville filipino food as in our favorite Chinese restaurant’s!
The dish is so easy to put together, I can’t believe how much restaurants charge for a small plateful. You’re lucky if you got more than 5 riblets in one serving!
How to Make Steamed Spareribs with Black Beans
- I bought pre-cut pork ribs in an Asian supermarket called “soft bone” which has a bit more fat marbling and soft white bones. If using regular spareribs, have the butcher cut the slab lengthwise into halves and just cut into bite-sized pieces by slicing between the bones.
- For extra depth of flavor, make sure to marinate the ribs for at least 30 minutes or overnight for best results.
- Like in our salt and pepper pork chops recipe, the key to super tender and velvety meat is coating with cornstarch!
- Use a shallow plate with about an inch deep to hold the flavorful juices dispelled during steaming. To ensure even cooking, make sure it’s wide enough to place the meat in a single layer without too much overlapping. You can use small plates if you’d like to serve dim sum style.
- Do not overcook the ribs or they’ll turn tough and chewy. I usually cook small bite-sized pieces for about for about 15 to 20 minutes and another five minutes if they’re extra meaty.
- If you want a bit of heat, add chopped Thai chili peppers along with the green onions when ready to serve.
More Delicious Asian Recipes:
Steamed Spareribs with Black Beans are your favorite dim sum made quick and easy right in your own home! With juicy pork ribs and flavorful sauce, they're perfect with rice.
- 2poundspork spareribs, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 3clovesgarlic, peeled and minced
- 1teaspoonginger, peeled and minced
- 2TablespoonsChinese rice cooking wine
- 2Tablespoonslight soy sauce
- 1teaspoonsesame oil
- 2teaspoonssugar
- 1/2teaspoonSalt
- 2tablespoonscornstarch
- 2Tablespoonsfermented black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2tablespoonsgreen onions, chopped
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Rinse pork ribs and drain very well. Pat dry.
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In a bowl, combine pork ribs, Chinese wine, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, salt, and sugar. Stir to fully coat meat and marinate for about 20 to 30 minutes.
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Add cornstarch and combine until ribs are coated. Add black beans and stir to distribute.
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Transfer pork into a heat-proof wide, shallow plate.
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Prepare a steamer by bringing about two inches of water to a boil.
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Place plate of ribs in the steamer basket, cover, and steam for about 15 to 20 minutes or until meat is no longer pink and cooked through.
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Sprinkle with green onions if desired. Serve hot.