Goji and chestnut steamed pork ribs (板栗枸杞蒸排骨)
ban li gou qi zheng pai gu (板栗枸杞蒸排骨)
Tender pork ribs steamed over sweet chestnuts and goji berries. A gentle, nourishing dish that suits the middle weeks of the month.
Steamed dishes are the light counterweight to confinement’s richer braises, and this one is a favourite of the middle weeks: tender ribs over sweet chestnuts, finished with a scatter of goji. It is nourishing without being heavy.
Why this dish
Chestnuts do the quiet work here. The tradition classes them as warming and supportive of the kidneys and spleen, the reserves the body draws on to recover, and they bring a soft, floury sweetness that makes the dish comforting rather than medicinal. Goji berries add a blood nourishing note and a little colour, and steaming keeps the whole thing gentle.
Easy by design
There is almost nothing to it: marinate, layer over chestnuts, steam. Vacuum-packed chestnuts make it easier still. Once it is in the steamer it looks after itself, which is exactly what you want in a month with little spare time.
For the ideas behind these tonic ingredients, see qi, blood, cold and wind.
The recipe
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Total
- 55 min
- Serves
- 3 as part of a meal
Why this ingredient
Chestnuts (板栗)
Chestnuts are quietly prized in the confinement kitchen. The tradition classes them as warming and as supporting the kidneys and spleen, which it links to the deep reserves the body draws on to recover, and their gentle sweetness makes them an easy, comforting addition rather than a medicinal one. Steamed under the ribs they turn soft and floury.
Why this ingredient
Goji berries (枸杞)
Goji berries appear across confinement cooking as a mild, sweet tonic. The tradition associates them with nourishing blood and the liver and with brightening the eyes, and they need almost no cooking, so they are added late to keep them plump. Here they lift a savoury dish with a little sweetness and colour.
Ingredients
- 400 g pork ribs, cut into short pieces Ask the butcher to chop them small, so they cook through by steaming.
- 150 g peeled chestnuts, fresh or vacuum-packed They soak up the juices and turn sweet and floury under the ribs.
- 1 tablespoon goji berries, rinsed Scattered over near the end so they stay whole and jewel-like.
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce and 1 teaspoon light soy The savoury base of the marinade.
- 2 teaspoons cornflour and 1 teaspoon sesame oil Cornflour holds the juices around the ribs; sesame oil adds warmth and gloss.
- 10 g ginger, finely minced, and a pinch of sugar Ginger for warmth, a little sugar to round the marinade.
Method
- 1 Rinse the ribs and pat dry. Mix with the oyster sauce, light soy, minced ginger, sugar, cornflour and sesame oil, and leave to marinate for 15 minutes.
- 2 If using fresh chestnuts, simmer them for 10 minutes first to soften. Spread the chestnuts over a heatproof plate.
- 3 Arrange the marinated ribs over the chestnuts in a single layer so they steam evenly.
- 4 Steam over rapidly boiling water for 30 to 35 minutes, until the ribs are tender and cooked through.
- 5 Scatter the goji berries over the top, steam for a final 2 minutes, and serve hot.
Notes and substitutions
- Vacuum-packed cooked chestnuts skip the peeling and go straight onto the plate, which makes this a genuinely easy dish.
- A shallow, wide plate steams more evenly than a deep bowl, since the ribs sit in a single layer.
- The dish holds well; steam it again briefly to reheat rather than microwaving, which dries the ribs.
Before you cook this
- A gentle, everyday dish. Choose meatier ribs and skim any excess fat from the plate if you prefer it lighter.
Common questions
Why steam rather than braise the ribs?
Steaming keeps the dish light and clean tasting, without added oil or a heavy sauce, which suits the middle weeks of the month. It also lets the chestnuts absorb the rib juices and turn sweet and soft.
Can I use dried chestnuts?
Yes. Soak dried chestnuts in warm water for a few hours until they soften, then use them as you would fresh. They have a deeper, sweeter flavour and hold their shape well under steaming.
What are chestnuts believed to do?
In the tradition chestnuts are classed as warming and as supporting the kidneys and spleen, which are linked to the body’s reserves and to digestion. They are treated as a gentle, everyday nourishing food rather than a strong tonic.