Spare ribs with Garlic, Fermented Black Beans and Pumpkin

This is one of the first dish I ever cooked and probably the only one that I am totally satisfied. Try it if you have a chance.

Recipe from '100 homemade dishes' by Huang Mei Feng

Ingredients

450g pumpkin

450g spareribs

2 cloves garlic (sliced)

1.5 tbsps fermented black beans

1 sprig spring onion (shredded)

1 tbsp Shaoxing wine

Marinade

1/4 tsp sugar

1tbsp light soy sauce

1/2 tsp salt

ground white pepper

1/2 tbsp caltrop starch

1tbsp oil

Seasoning

1.5 cups water

1 tsp dark soy sauce

1/2 tsp sugar

Caltrop starch solution (mixed well)

2 tbsps water

2tsps caltrop starch

Method

1. Peel pumpkin. Seed and cut into pieces

2. Chop up spareribs. Wash and wipe dry. Mix with marinade. Leave for 15 minuts

3. Heat oil in wok. Stir fry fermented black beans and garlic until fragrant. Put in spare ribs and stir fry until golden brown. Sizzle shaoxing wine. Pour in seasoning and simmer for 20 minutes. Add pumpkin and simmer for another 10 minutes (or until pumpkin is soft). Thicken with caltrop starch solution. Sprinkle with shredded spring onion. Serve.

A new interest - cooking

I hardly ever cook in my life. My only experiences were instant noodles, fried egg and maybe once, century egg porridge. But I've been reading magazines and books on cooking, just never had the guts to start.

You know, even when I bake chicken pie, the fillings were cooked by my domestic helper. So is the filling for my pineapple tart. I am hopeless when it comes to using the stove. But now we use the induction cooker and I feel it is more manageable. The 'fire' comes in a range of degrees - 120, 150, 180, much like the oven.

I was inspired by the Ngoh Hiang recipe posted on the Sunday times on 10th May. And last weekend, I was hit by the 'cooking bug'! I even visited the wet market (I probably can count the number I times I was in a wet market using a single hand).

On Saturday, I made wantan noodles and Ngoh Hiang.
On Sunday, I made 'Braised pork ribs with pumpkin' and 'three cup chicken'.

I thought it was quite a feat for a beginner and the results were good. Even hubby was impressed. I am extremely motivated. Look out for my posts.