Spareribs Steamed with Ground Rice

1) Cut spareribs in pieces. Marinate 2 hours in sauce mixed of sweet fermented paste, soya sauce, salt, cooking wine, sugar, minced scallion and ginger, sesame oil and pepper. While preparing marinating sauce, use about 1/2 cup of water to rinse container of sweet paste and then pour water in sauce.

2) Drain rice from water. Spread it on a working board and crush it with a rolling pin into fine grains. Roast in a pan, mixed with "five-spice powder", stirring all the time until it becomes brown. And this becomes the "ground rice". (This is double the amount needed for this dish; half of it is to be put away for future use.)

3) Put ground rice in the same marinating pot and mix with spareribs. Halve the mixture and put each half into a bowl. Place the two bowls on a per¬forated rack in a covered steamer over boiling water. Steam for two hours.

Notes:

(1) Some soya beans, well soaked, may be added to the ingredients before steaming. They will enhance the taste of this dish and add to its nutritious value.

(2) If streaky pork is used instead of spareribs for this recipe, the end result will be "Pork Steamed in Ground Rice".