This dish brings me back to my childhood when my dad made spare ribs with homemade black bean sauce. For more of my favorite dishes growing up, check out this post!
Below are some links to more details, including photos:
My Story
I was looking for a way to use up the fermented black sauce that I had in the refrigerator. Since pork ribs were on sale at the supermarket, it was the perfect opportunity to try out an easier method of making them with black bean sauce than what I used before.
Inspiring Recipe
The recipe that I found was, Braised Spare Ribs with Black Bean Sauce, from the blog, Red House Spice.
First Try
Aside from the ribs, I had to buy an onion before I could prepare the recipe. Everything else was already at home.
Ingredients to Use
Instead of spare ribs, I used baby back ribs because they were on sale. With 2.61 pounds, I increased the remaining ingredients to the following amounts:
- 1 1/2 tablespoons + 1/2 teaspoon + 1/8 teaspoon of oil
- 1 onion (medium*)
- 1 tablespoon + 1/3 teaspoon of ginger
- 5 tablespoons + 1/3 teaspoon of black bean sauce (shop-bought)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons + 1/2 teaspoon + 1/8 teaspoon of soy sauce
- 2 stalks of scallions
* Based on the article from the CulinaryLore’s website, What Size are Small, Medium and Large Onions and How Much Does Each Yield Chopped?, I chose a medium onion for this recipe.
Steps to Prepare
For the instructions, I went straight to the section for braising the ribs, since I didn’t need to make the black bean sauce.
For each of the steps, I adjusted them slightly as follows:
- Before Step 1 – Boiled water in preparation for Step 3
- Step 2 – Used a saucepan instead of a pot since it appeared to fit everything
- Step 3 – Gradually reduced the heat from medium high to low after bringing the liquid to a boil
- Step 4 – Reduced the broth by half in about 45 minutes and turned off the stove even though the sauce wasn’t thick yet
Time to Eat
After patiently waiting for the broth to evaporate, I was finally able to taste the ribs!
Recipe Rating
Below were the results of the recipe after the first try:
| # of Ingredients | Effort | $ / Serving | Try Again? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 * |  |  | |
The meat was soft with light black bean sauce flavor. What I didn’t like were the large pieces of ginger.
Second Try
During the second round, my focus was to increase the flavor of the ribs and decrease the size of the ginger.
Ingredients to Use
With a lighter package of ribs at 2.38 pounds, I decreased the proportion of the other ingredients accordingly with a couple of exceptions. For the black bean sauce and soy sauce, I rounded the measurements up for a richer taste.
What I ended up using is noted below:
- 1 1/2 tablespoons + 1/8 teaspoon of oil
- 1 onion (medium)
- 1 tablespoon + 1/4 teaspoon of ginger*
- 4 1/2 tablespoons + 2/3 teaspoon of black bean sauce (shop-bought)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons + 1/4 teaspoon of soy sauce
- 2 stalks of scallions
Also, for a smoother texture, I grated the ginger instead of julienning them.
*Included an extra 1/8 teaspoon of ginger that was already grated.
Steps to Prepare
Regarding the process, the main difference as compared to the first time was that I had to use cold water for the braising liquid in Step 3 because I forgot to boil water ahead of time.
In addition, after 40 minutes in Step 4, the broth thickened. Perhaps it was because I started out with less water this time?
Time to Eat
As you can see, there was lots of sauce sticking to the meat during the second attempt.
Recipe Rating
Below are the results of the recipe from the second attempt:
| # of Ingredients | Effort | $ / Serving | Try Again? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 * | | | |
The rib meat was soft and fell off the bone. Also, thanks to the thickened sauce, there was more black bean flavor than before.
Although the cooking process was manageable, doing the following next time will make it easier:
Continuous Improvement
- Use a pot to braise the ribs, so there would be more room to stir them.
Because I didn’t have the hot water readily available for the second attempt, I learned the following that I would like to share with my previous self:
Lesson for Dumber Self
- To be more prepared, visualize the process ahead of time.
What will you do now?
Next Step for You
- Try the recipe, Braised Spare Ribs with Black Bean Sauce, from the blog, Red House Spice?
- Share your favorite recipe using black bean sauce?
- Read another post on this site? (Go to the menu at the top of the page.)
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