Spareribs with Black Beans and Pepper Sauce

* Note 1: Have the butcher cut these into 1-inch pieces for you on his bandsaw. ** Note 2: Can be found in Chinese or Oriental markets. Blanch the ribs i n boiling water for 1 minute. Drain well. Rinse the black beans (dow see) and mix with other marinade ingredients. Soak ribs in the marinade for 20 minutes. Heat a wok and chow (stir-fry) the ribs until lightly browned. Remove from the wok and drain the oil. Add fresh peanut oil, garlic and salt. Chow until the garlic browns a bit, then add the remaining i ngredients. Return the ribs to the wok and toss in the sauce. Place in a steaming dish and steam for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the ribs are very tender. Serves 6 as a dim sum course. Variation: You can also avoid browning the ribs. Just add 1 tablespoon cornstarch to the marinade and continue with the dish. When steamed, the cornstarch will form a wonderful gravy on the ribs. Comments: This dish causes traffic jams among the dim sum carts in Hong Kong. Everyone wants an order and the chaos is infectious. Easy to prepare, they will just make a dim sum party. Recipe Source: THE FRUGAL GOURMET by Jeff Smith From the 10-21-1992 issue - The Springfield Union-News Formatted for MasterCook II by: Joe Comiskey {*Prodigy Service ID # JPMD44A} on 09-05-1995 Re-format for Meal Master by: Nancy Filbert (*Prodigy ID# LRCE87A) Posted to MC-Recipe Digest V1 #174 Date: 29 Jul 96 11:20:56 From: "steven.h.bergstein" <steven.h.bergstein@ac.com>