Braised Country Ribs With Fermented Black Beans Food

STEAMED BLACK BEAN SPARERIBS

Steps:

• If the sparerib tips come in a slab, cut them into individual ribs.
• Toss together the ribs, light soy sauce, fermented black beans, cooking wine, sugar, sesame oil, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon white pepper in a large bowl. Let marinate at room temperature for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.
• When the ribs are almost ready, prepare a steamer setup with a rack in a large pot or wok (see Cook's Note). Add enough water to the pot so it reaches just below the rack, cover the pot and bring to a boil.
• Add the cornstarch and oil to the ribs and mix well. Place the ribs in a single layer on a large heatproof rimmed plate or shallow bowl that fits inside the pot. Sprinkle the ribs with the chiles.
• Place the plate on the rack in the pot, cover and steam until the ribs are opaque on the exterior and cooked through, 25 to 28 minutes (see Cook's Note). Garnish with the scallions and carefully remove the plate from the pot using tongs or oven mitts.

BRAISED COUNTRY RIBS WITH FERMENTED BLACK BEANS

Steps:

• Dredge ribs in flour, coating it thinly. Shake off excess.
• Heat oil in the bottom of pressure cooker or stovetop casserole or Dutch oven. When it is nearly smoking, add ribs in a single layer, and allow them to brown deeply on that side, then turn them, repeating until all sides are golden brown. Do this in several batches as needed-if you crowd the pot it will lower the temperature too much and will make it harder to get that nice golden crust.
• Remove the ribs and set them aside on a plate. Add onions to the pot, and stir, cooking until they turn a deep golden brown color. Add the ginger and chiles and continue cooking until onions are reddish brown. Add garlic and black beans and stir until fragrant.
• Deglaze the pot with water, scraping up any browned bits left on the bottom. Add ribs back to the pot and add the chicken broth and soy sauce.
• Bring to a boil. If using a pressure cooker, close lid, lock down and bring to full pressure. Turn down heat and cook at high pressure for about thirty minutes. If you are just using a regular pan, turn down the heat and cover the pot, and cook covered until the ribs are fork tender-it will probably take a couple of hours.
• When the ribs are done, uncover the pot or pressure cooker and add turnips. Cook, uncovered, until turnips are fully tender and the sauce has reduced slightly.
• Thicken sauce with cornstarch slurry, and remove meat and turnips to a heated serving bowl, with plenty of sauce. (As you pull the meat out of the pot, many of the bones will fall free-this is fine and to be expected. You can purposefully remove the bones before serving-this makes it a little easier to pick up chunks of pork with chopsticks, though in truth most of the Chinese folks I know like to nibble on the bones of ribs and spareribs, so you can leave them, too.).
• Just before serving, sprinkle with scallion tops and cilantro.

BRAISED COUNTRY-STYLE PORK RIBS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Pat the ribs dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat 2
• tablespoons of the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and brown the ribs
• on all sides, working in batches if needed. Remove the ribs and set aside. Add
• the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the Dutch oven and reduce the heat to medium.
• Add the carrots, celery, onions and some salt and pepper and cook until soft,
• about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add
• the tomato paste and cook, stirring, to remove the raw flavor, about 3 minutes.
• Deglaze the pan with the vinegar, and then add the red pepper flakes and bay
• leaves.
• Add the ribs back to the pan and add enough stock to reach
• halfway up the sides of the ribs. Bring the pan to a simmer, cover and place in
• the oven. Braise until the meat is tender, about 1 1/2 hours. During the last
• half hour, uncover to allow the liquid to reduce and the pork to brown.
• Serve the ribs with Creamy Polenta, spooning the sauce on
• top, and garnishing with parsley.
• Spray the insert of a slow cooker with cooking spray (for easier clean up) and preheat on high.
• In a medium saucepan, add 1 cup of the half-and-half, the milk, 1 tablespoon of the butter and the polenta. Season with salt and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking constantly to keep the mixture lump-free. Boil for 2 to 3 minutes. Pour the mixture into the slow cooker and cook on high for 2 hours, stirring once or twice per hour.
• Once you are ready to serve, open the slow cooker and whisk in the remaining 1 tablespoon butter, the remaining 1/3 cup half-and-half and the Parmesan. Salt and pepper conservatively since the polenta will be served with a robustly salted dish.

BRAISED SPARERIBS WITH FERMENTED BLACK BEANS

Steps:

• Prepare ahead: with a cleaver or large, sharp knife, separate spareribs and chop them crosswise into 1 1/2" lengths. Have spareribs, oil, soy sauce, sugar, fermented black beans and water within easy reach. To cook: Set a 12" wok over high heat for 30 seconds. Pour in oil, covering the bottom of the pan and heat for another 30 seconds. Reduce heat if oil begins to smoke. Add spareribs and stir fry for 3-4 minutes until lightly browned on both sides. Add garlic, soy sauce, sugar, beans and water, stirring to coat spareribs with the mixture. Bring to a boil; cover the pan with a lid and reduce heat to low. Simmer undisturbed for about 1 hour. To serve, arrange spareribs on a heated platter. Skim and discard surface fat from the sauce and remove garlic. Dissolve cornstarch in broth or water and add to pan mixture. Cook, stirring for a few seconds until sauce thickens and clears. Pour over ribs and serve at once.