Steamed pork ribs with butternut squash

Photo: Red House Spice

Ribs marinated in fermented bean curd and soy, piled on squash and steamed until the squash soaks up all the juices. A Chinese family dish that cooks itself.

From Wei Guo at Red House Spice · @red.house.spice

Steaming keeps the ribs juicy, and every drop of seasoned juice runs down into the squash underneath.

You need

• 400 g (14 oz) pork ribs, cut into 1½-inch pieces (ask the butcher)
• ½ butternut squash (about 400 g / 14 oz), peeled and cut into ½-inch slices
• 2 tsp light soy sauce
• 2 tsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tsp Shaoxing rice wine
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 1 pinch ground Sichuan pepper (or black pepper)
• 1 tbsp ginger, cut into thin strips
• 5 cubes white fermented bean curd (fu ru), mashed
• ½ tsp sesame oil
• 1 scallion, finely chopped

How to make it

1. Rinse the ribs and soak them in cold water for 10 minutes to draw out the blood, then drain and pat dry.
2. Marinate: in a bowl, mix the ribs with the mashed fermented bean curd, light and dark soy, Shaoxing wine, Sichuan pepper and ginger. Add the cornstarch and mix until every piece is coated. Leave 30 minutes.
3. Line a heatproof dish (one that fits in your steamer or wok) with the squash slices, overlapping them. Lay the ribs on top in one layer and pour over any marinade left in the bowl.
4. Steam over boiling water on high heat, covered, for 40 to 50 minutes, until the meat pulls easily from the bone and the squash is completely soft. Check the water halfway and top up with boiling water if it's low.
5. Drizzle with sesame oil, scatter over the scallion and serve hot with rice, straight from the dish.

Written in our own words from Wei Guo's recipe, with their quantities. The original: Steamed pork ribs with butternut squash, Red House Spice.

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