Black Bean Spareribs

Its Memorial Day!  Thank you to all who have sacrificed so the rest of us can enjoy the good life in the land of the free!

And speaking of free, we are free. . .free (almost) for the summer!  Yay!!!  I guess my new job (chaffeur) begins soon.  We head back to work on July 16, a date which, to most people in the Northern Hemisphere, is still considered Summer.  Unfortunately, some people where I live must have missed the "seasons" lesson while they were in school, so the rest of us will be back at work for Fall term in the middle of July.  Shit!

And for those of us working in certain geographic areas, the school day will actually be even longer, with days ending at 4:00 pm for teachers.  More time to leave more kids behind.  Double shit!!

I guess I'm feeling especially salty now because I need to go in to work this week and next week, and one of those days entails driving 1 1/2 hours to Naalehu for an all-day meeting.  I'm debating whether or not to place an order for macadamia nut cream pie from Hana Hou Restaurant.  The pie is close to $30, and I will likely be sick of it after eating it for a week, but the first 3 pieces will be thoroughly enjoyed.  And no, buying a slice is NOT enough.

So in between the inconveniences called work, I hope to make it to Oahu for a few days to enjoy the perks of city life.  I miss living in Honolulu and being able to go down to Chinatown and have dim sum at a moments notice.  Hilo has no dim sum restaurants (my freezer has the second largest assortment on dim sum in Hilo, second only to Kilauea Market), and I'm not even sure if many people here have ever experienced dim sum.  That's a shame because dim sum is one of the "musts" whenever I go to Honolulu (or Seattle or San Francisco or Woodbridge).

While there are dishes which I enjoy, black bean spareribs is one of those things that I invariably order every time.  It a challenge to nibble out the bits of meat from the bone and gristle.  Each morsel is succulent and filled with flavor.  Knowing I can make it at home doesn't stop me from ordering it in restaurants.  And since the plates tend to be really small, each taste is especially cherished. 

I've had black bean spareribs at parties (someone else made), and one thing I notice is that I seem to be partial to the versions that are steamed (the way the dim sum places do it).  Somehow, cooking it in a pot does not give the meat that same velvety texture.  Yummy!

Tomorrow I'll find out where D1's summer internship will be.  Tomorrow is also the 1st day of cheerleading tryouts, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for D1.  D2 gets a break until next week Monday when her sewing classes begin.  She chose to go to sewing lessons.

click on recipe title for printable recipe
Black Bean Spareribs

     1 1/2 lbs spareribs, cut into 1" pieces

     2 tbsp salted black beans, rinsed and chopped

     1 clove garlic, minced

     1 tsp minced ginger

     2 tsp shoyu

     1/4 tsp salt

     1 tsp sugar

     1 chili pepper, chopped (discard seeds before chopping)

     2 tbsp cornstarch

     green onions for garnish

Poach spareribs for 30 minutes.  Drain and pat dry.  Combine spareribs with remaining ingredients (except for green onions) and place in a heat-proof bowl.  Steam for 30 minutes.  Garnish with green onions.

Its Memorial Day!  Thank you to all who have sacrificed so the rest of us can enjoy the good life in the land of the free!

And speaking of free, we are free. . .free (almost) for the summer!  Yay!!!  I guess my new job (chaffeur) begins soon.  We head back to work on July 16, a date which, to most people in the Northern Hemisphere, is still considered Summer.  Unfortunately, some people where I live must have missed the "seasons" lesson while they were in school, so the rest of us will be back at work for Fall term in the middle of July.  Shit!

And for those of us working in certain geographic areas, the school day will actually be even longer, with days ending at 4:00 pm for teachers.  More time to leave more kids behind.  Double shit!!

I guess I'm feeling especially salty now because I need to go in to work this week and next week, and one of those days entails driving 1 1/2 hours to Naalehu for an all-day meeting.  I'm debating whether or not to place an order for macadamia nut cream pie from Hana Hou Restaurant.  The pie is close to $30, and I will likely be sick of it after eating it for a week, but the first 3 pieces will be thoroughly enjoyed.  And no, buying a slice is NOT enough.

So in between the inconveniences called work, I hope to make it to Oahu for a few days to enjoy the perks of city life.  I miss living in Honolulu and being able to go down to Chinatown and have dim sum at a moments notice.  Hilo has no dim sum restaurants (my freezer has the second largest assortment on dim sum in Hilo, second only to Kilauea Market), and I'm not even sure if many people here have ever experienced dim sum.  That's a shame because dim sum is one of the "musts" whenever I go to Honolulu (or Seattle or San Francisco or Woodbridge).

While there are dishes which I enjoy, black bean spareribs is one of those things that I invariably order every time.  It a challenge to nibble out the bits of meat from the bone and gristle.  Each morsel is succulent and filled with flavor.  Knowing I can make it at home doesn't stop me from ordering it in restaurants.  And since the plates tend to be really small, each taste is especially cherished. 

I've had black bean spareribs at parties (someone else made), and one thing I notice is that I seem to be partial to the versions that are steamed (the way the dim sum places do it).  Somehow, cooking it in a pot does not give the meat that same velvety texture.  Yummy!

Tomorrow I'll find out where D1's summer internship will be.  Tomorrow is also the 1st day of cheerleading tryouts, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for D1.  D2 gets a break until next week Monday when her sewing classes begin.  She chose to go to sewing lessons.

click on recipe title for printable recipe
Black Bean Spareribs

     1 1/2 lbs spareribs, cut into 1" pieces

     2 tbsp salted black beans, rinsed and chopped

     1 clove garlic, minced

     1 tsp minced ginger

     2 tsp shoyu

     1/4 tsp salt

     1 tsp sugar

     1 chili pepper, chopped (discard seeds before chopping)

     2 tbsp cornstarch

     green onions for garnish

Poach spareribs for 30 minutes.  Drain and pat dry.  Combine spareribs with remaining ingredients (except for green onions) and place in a heat-proof bowl.  Steam for 30 minutes.  Garnish with green onions.