Steamed Pork Spareribs with Tofu Recipe
When you add tofu to steamed pork spareribs, it becomes a tasty Chinese homestyle dish that is hearty with a healthy and low-cost way to add protein to a recipe. I first tried this dish at a Chinese restaurant known for homestyle recipes.
Ingredients
- 16 ounces tofu medium, 1 large box or 2 small boxes
- 1.5 pounds pork spareribs cut into 1 to 1.5-inch strips
- 1.5 tablespoon black bean garlic sauce
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
Instructions
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Select your deepest and widest pot with a lid and add a steamer rack and about 1 inch of water. See blog post for additional tips.
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Rinse the outside of the tofu box, use a knife to cut slits in the plastic flim along the width of the tofu box to drain the tofu. Place the box sideways in a large bowl and drain for 5-10 minutes* and take the tofu out of the box and place in a large bowl and microwave for 2 minutes or steam for 5 minutes. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
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Rinse the pork spareribs with cold water to remove any bone fragments and drain. Cut rib strips in between the bones and transfer to a large bowl. Add the black bean garlic sauce and cornstarch and stir to combine. Set aside for 10-15 minutes. Bring water to boil in your prepared steam pan.
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When the water is boiling hot, carefully lift the lid to direct the steam away from you. Use your plate lifter to lower the bowl of spareribs into the pot, cover and steam for 15 minutes (set a timer).
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In the meantime, drain the cooled down tofu and cut into bite-sized cubes. When the timer chimes, carefully lift the lid and stir the spareribs so that they steam evenly. Drain the tofu again and carefully add them to the bowl. Steam for an additional 3 minutes to reheat the tofu. Gently stir before serving to coat the tofu with sauce.
Recipe Notes
*If you have time, you can also drain the tofu for 1 to 4 hours in your refrigerator and then it's ready to cut into smaller pieces and add to the last few minutes of steaming.
For a prettier presentation, steam the tofu, set aside, then steam the pork spareribs and then transfer the steamed spareribs and sauce over the tofu, Steam some more as needed.