Serves 2–4
Commonly associated with Southeast Asian cooking, spicy curry is also featured in southern Chinese dishes.
Curry Spareribs
1 pound pork ribs
4 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons curry paste
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 large clove garlic, chopped
2–4 cups oil for deep-frying
- Cut the ribs into bite-sized pieces. Add the soy sauce, rice wine, sugar, curry paste, turmeric, and chopped garlic. Marinate the ribs for 30 minutes.
- Heat the oil in the wok to 350°F. When oil is hot, deep-fry the spareribs until they turn a deep brown and rise to the surface.
Braised Spareribs in Black Bean Sauce
1–1½ pounds spareribs
1 tablespoon fermented black beans
1 garlic clove, minced
2 green onions
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1½ teaspoons sugar
½ cup water
2 tablespoons oil for stir-frying
- Wash the spareribs, pat dry, and separate. Mash the black beans with the back edge of a knife or cleaver. Mix with the garlic and a bit of water. Cut the green onions into 1-inch pieces.
- Combine the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, sugar, and water.
- Add oil to a preheated wok or skillet. Stir-fry the pork for 2–3 minutes. Add the fermented bean and garlic mixture and stir-fry until aromatic.
- Add the sauce and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat, cover, and simmer for 20–25 minutes, until the spareribs are cooked. Stir in the green onions or serve as a garnish.
Fermented Black Beans
These are not the dried black beans that enliven many Mexican dishes. Instead, fermented black beans (also called salted black beans) are made with black soybeans that have been fermented in salt, garlic, and a number of spices. Fermented black beans are sold in cans and plastic bags in Asian markets. In a pinch, black bean sauce can be used as a substitute, but the dish won't have the same flavor.