Steamed rice-coated ribs

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Lisa's parents made this for me when they visited on April 9, 2009. The ribs have this delicious, gooey, five-spice flavor and are tender and fall off the bone. I made my own version on January 28, 2010 that tasted about right and are oh-so delicious.

Take a rack of spare ribs, cut cross-wise in thirds by the butcher, then separated into individual ribs. Marinate in a 1-1-1 mixture of soy-wine/sake-water and garlic for an hour or two. It doesn't take long for the meat to absorb the marinade.

Prepare a mixture of five-spice powder and rice flour. Dry off the ribs, and dredge them in the flour mixture. Place in a steamer and steam until they fall off the bone (about two hours).

In Lisa's parents version, they place a layer of taro root, a layer of pickled greens, and a layer of the ribs on the steamer. The taro and greens get flavored by the ribs as they cook and are delicious. When I made it, I didn't have either the taro or the greens, so I just steamed the ribs, which were just as good. Notably, the water used to steam looked and smelled like a delicious broth. It really is a waste of flavor not to put something underneath those ribs.

Lisa's dad also made his own rice flour, which resulted in a grittier texture. I used store-bought rice flour, which was finer, and resulted in a gooey-er texture, but still very delicious.