# Chinese New Year - 2019 Year of the pig!



## pepperhead212 (Feb 5, 2019)

I made some Spareribs in Black Bean sauce tonight (plus a little SF bok choy on the side). I started a day early, but I have more than half left for Chinese New Year, which starts Tuesday.

This dish is one of my favorites, though I hadn't made it for quite a while. It was the second recipe in the meat chapter in my looseleaf "black book", which I wrote my favorite oriental recipes in, before I had a software for recipes! These salted, fermented black beans are one of those ingredients that smell totally disgusting, at first, but the smell cooks off, and about halfway through, the sparerib aroma takes over, and by the end, you can't wait to taste them! Still, I don't recommend them to anyone that does not have a powerful, externally vented exhaust hood! It was only 62º out when I made these, which is a lot better than 22º, when turning that hood on.  

This is the recipe I was cooking in my parent's house, before I left home, and Dad threatened to throw me out if I ever cooked "whatever that was again". I've been making it for that long! 


Ingredients for Spareribs in Black Bean Sauce by pepperhead212, on Flickr



Stir-frying minced ingredients. by pepperhead212, on Flickr



Stir-frying ribs, with minced ingredients. by pepperhead212, on Flickr



Liquid added, and brought to boil. by pepperhead212, on Flickr



After 45 minutes cooking. by pepperhead212, on Flickr



Most of the liquid cooked off. by pepperhead212, on Flickr



Finished dish. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

*Spareribs in Black Bean Sauce*

  1 1/2  lbs spareribs; chopped in 1 1/2 in. pieces
  3	tb oil                                
  2	tb salted black beans; rinsed and chopped
  1	tb ginger; minced
  1	tb garlic; minced
  2	large scallions; chopped fine
  2	tb  	dark soy sauce                     
  2	tb  	sherry                             
  1	tsp  	sugar                              
  3/4	cup(s) water

A. Combine water, soy sauce, sugar, and sherry and stir to dissolve. Place the ginger, garlic, black beans, and scallions on a plate. 

B. Heat a 10" saute pan or 12" skillet over high heat; add oil, heat 30 sec., then add sesonings and stir-fry 30-40 sec. Add ribs, and SF 1-1 1/2 min., or until all whitened and seasoned. Add liquid and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer 45 min. Remove lid, raise heat, and boil off water, stirring. remove ribs to a serving dish, scraping out all the brown bits onto the ribs, leaving the oil. 

Note: This doubles easily - I just use a 12" sauté pan, and use 1 1/4 c water, instead of doubling.


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## Kaneohegirlinaz (Feb 5, 2019)

GONG HEI FAT CHOY!!!

I will be making Noddles for Long life
Steamed Dumplings for Wealth
Fortune Fruit (I've got Clementines) for Happiness and Luck
Rice Cakes for Family or Togetherness

I wish you and your families Joy and Happiness 
with great Fortune and Prosperity in the coming New Year.


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## caseydog (Feb 5, 2019)

Kaneohegirlinaz said:


> GONG HEI FAT CHOY!!!
> 
> I will be making Noddles for Long life
> Steamed Dumplings for Wealth
> ...



I need to learn fast how to make steamed dumplings! I can buy some fruit. I'll probably pass on the rice cakes. 

BTW, how does one find 1-1/2 inch spareribs? 

CD


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## pepperhead212 (Feb 5, 2019)

CD   I have a heavy cleaver for choping through bones like spareribs, and a sacrificial side of a large chopping board, that is used only for this purpose. I have seen them in the Asian markets, but I go there so seldom, and I just buy the spareribs when on sale, and chop them up, and  foodsaver them, and freeze.  Good way to take out your frustrations!

I have a bandsaw, but I don't cut meat on that. lol


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## buckytom (Feb 5, 2019)

OK, cool, pepp.

Thanks for the recipe. If I do make those snails in the black bean sauce, I'll post about it using your recipe.


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## cookieee (Feb 5, 2019)

Hi Dave, they do look sooo good.  DH loved the comment about your dad lol


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## pepperhead212 (Feb 5, 2019)

buckytom said:


> OK, cool, pepp.
> 
> Thanks for the recipe. If I do make those snails in the black bean sauce, I'll post about it using your recipe.


Not sure how this recipe would work with snails, Bucky.  The juices from the meat cooking over that fairly long period of time creates much of that thick sauce, that it cooks down to.  That probably wouldn't happen with snails.  Maybe add a cup of stock, and cook it down about 3/4 of the way, then add the snails?

I only had leftovers today, but I cooked a number of things in advance, to have with a Chinese dinner with a couple friends on Friday.  Some Red cooked chicken thighs, and the bases for some dishes, like ants climb a tree, so all of the chopping and cutting is done, and some of the cooking, and the noodles in that dish just needs to be tossed with the "ants", and heated, and served.  Also started some pickles, to have on the side.


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## caseydog (Feb 5, 2019)

pepperhead212 said:


> CD   I have a heavy cleaver for choping through bones like spareribs, and a sacrificial side of a large chopping board, that is used only for this purpose. I have seen them in the Asian markets, but I go there so seldom, and I just buy the spareribs when on sale, and chop them up, and  foodsaver them, and freeze.  Good way to take out your frustrations!
> 
> I have a bandsaw, but I don't cut meat on that. lol



I bet the butcher/meat department would cut those ribs on their meat bandsaw. Unless you find it "therapeutic" to bludgeon the ribs with a meat cleaver. I have days like that. 

CD


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## JustJoel (Feb 6, 2019)

I just realized! This is my Chinese year: year of the pig, although I prefer to call it the year of the wild boar...


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## pepperhead212 (Feb 7, 2019)

My year is the year of the monkey, though I'm surprised it isn't the year of the pig.


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## buckytom (Feb 7, 2019)

Boooo, yous guys are hacks!

Get off the stage...


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## caseydog (Feb 7, 2019)

buckytom said:


> Boooo, yous guys are hacks!
> 
> Get off the stage...



Let my guess, BT's Chinese zodiac animal is the Rat. 

Hmmmmm, he works in NYC, works in TV, and likes pizza... BT is famous!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPXUG8q4jKU

CD


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