Manu’s Steamed Black Bean and Pepper Pork Ribs

Taken from Manu and his partner Clarissa’s cookbook, ‘More Please!’, this is a spin on a typical yum cha dish that most people really enjoy. If you can’t get your hands on fermented black beans, you can use the same quantity of jarred black bean sauce, which is available in most supermarkets and Asian grocery stores these days.

Ingredients For Manu’s Recipe

• 1 kg (2 lb 4 oz) pork spare ribs, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 2 tablespoons peanut oil
• 1 x 4 cm (1½ inch) piece ginger, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 fresh long red chilli, thinly sliced
• 3 spring onions (scallions), sliced on the diagonal, whites and greens separated
• Steamed rice, to serve

Marinade

• 2 teaspoons Chinese rice wine
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon karamel masakan
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon cornflour (cornstarch)
• 1 tablespoon fermented black beans, soaked in water for 5 minutes, drained and coarsely chopped

Method

1. To make the marinade, combine all the ingredients in a large bowl. Add the pork ribs and toss to coat, then cover and leave to marinate for at least 1 hour.
2. Heat the peanut oil in a large wok heat over medium–low heat, add the ginger and stir-fry for 2–3 minutes, or until lightly golden. Add the garlic and fry for 30 seconds.
3. Increase the heat to high, drain the pork from the marinade (reserving the marinade) and add to the wok. Cook for 5–6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly caramelised. Add the chilli, reserved marinade and white spring onion and stir-fry for 1 minute, or until the liquid comes to the boil.
4. Transfer the pork stir-fry to a deep heatproof dish that fits snugly in a bamboo steamer, ensuring the dish has enough extra space for the sauce to expand as the steam trickles into it.
5. Bring water to the boil in a saucepan or a wok over high heat. Place the dish with pork ribs on a steaming rack. Cover and reduce the heat to low, then steam for 50 minutes, checking periodically to see if the ribs are soft and adding more water to the pan or wok, if necessary.
6. Once the ribs are tender, take the dish out and garnish with the green spring onion. Serve with steamed rice.

Recipe from ‘More Please!’: Manu Feildel and Clarissa Weerasena’s family recipes you’ll love to cook and share

Co-host of the highest rating TV show in the nation, My Kitchen Rules, this time showing us the easy accessible food his family eats at home. As the cheeky co-host of one of the country’s best-loved TV programs, MKR, Manu Feildel gets to sample some of the finest home cooking in the nation. His favourite meals, though, are most often those he enjoys at home with his loved ones.

Like many of us, Manu’s family has diverse cultural roots – French, of course, but also Chinese, Malay and Sri Lankan. And he loves to put a spin on his favourite dishes from Spain, Italy and the Middle East. He and his partner, Clarissa, draw on all these influences when cooking at home. The result is a collection of simply delicious recipes that tick all the boxes: quick, easy and enticing for all the family on those busy weeknights, plus plenty of special-occasion dishes you can whip up to impress a crowd.

This is real food, with no skimping on flavour, and infused with all the flair and flamboyance for which Manu is renowned. It’s sure to have you coming back for more.

Gary Mehigan and Manu Feildel recently partnered up with the Hong Kong Tourism Board. You can watch some of his videos here: http://manufeildel.com.au/2016/10/destination-hong-kong-around-the-world-with-manu-episode-4/