Do you love Chinese food? It’s always been my favorite restaurant fare. Unfortunately, I can’t afford to eat out every day so I learned how to make some of my favorite Chinese dishes at home. One of my favorite dishes is Spareribs with Black Bean Sauce over rice. I LOVE that one so much that I wasn’t going to stop until I learned how to make it!
Doesn’t it look delicious?
The most important part is to have a great wok. You could make it in a pan, but it won’t be as easy and I don’t think the flavor would be the same. Maybe it’s in my head, but if you’re going to replicate Chinese food at home, you need to use the same tools. (Chopsticks optional – I can use the wok but still working on that part!)
Thanks to the Black Cube Wok, I’ve pretty much perfected my recipe. It tastes almost exactly the same as it does when I get it at my favorite Chinese restaurant. What makes this wok special is that it’s stainless steel over a tough nonstick coating. So it’s got all of the great heating properties of the stainless steel, but the coating makes it really easy to move the food around to evenly brown it as it’s cooking.
Another bonus is that you can use metal utensils in it. It seems that since we’ve gone nonstick, each pot and pan in the kitchen needs a special utensil, and let’s face it. Not all plastic utensils are great. Some melt, some bend, and some break. I’ve always preferred metal, so it’s nice to be able to use metal utensils in the wok.
Another nice thing about this wok is that like the other Black Cube cookware, it can be used in the oven up to 450 degrees. You probably wouldn’t need that with a wok as much, but it’s still nice to know that it’s oven safe. It’s also dishwasher safe, which makes cleanup a breeze.
The wok is pretty amazing and it cooks everything to perfection. The only thing I’d change is the color. I wish it was the black on top of the stainless steel instead of the other way around because it does smudge easily with fingerprints and that makes for not such a pretty wok. The quality and ease of use makes up for it 100x over though. It’s well worth it to be able to have Chinese food at home whenever I want.
So…
Without further ado, the recipe for my favorite dish is below. Give it a try and tell me what you think! I’m excited to hear your thoughts!
- 1½ pound pork spareribs, cut 1 inch thick (you’ll need to have this done at your local grocer).
- 1 bell pepper, coarsely chopped
- 1 yellow onion, coarsely chopped
- 3 tbs minced garlic, you can use less, if you like.
- 2 tbs black bean garlic sauce
- 2 cups chicken broth, or more as needed
- 1 tbs water
- ½ tbs corn starch
- 1 tbs Sesame oil, for cooking
- In a large wok, heat 1 tablespoon of sesame oil over medium-high heat, then add the spareribs and stir-fry for five minutes.
- Once your meat is browned, gradually add in the garlic and black bean sauce and cook for an additional three minutes.
- Next add in the chicken broth, reduce the heat, and cook for an additional 20 minutes (this will make your meat more tender and juicy).
- Now add in the bell pepper and onion and cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes.
- Finally, in a small bowl whisk together the cornstarch and water, then add to the wok. Cook until the gravy starts to thicken or until the veggies are your preferred softness.
- Serve over freshly cooked jasmine rice, and enjoy.