Braised Lamb in Black Bean Sauce

Asian style Braised Lamb in Black Bean Sauce cooked with beancurd sticks to soak up all the wonderful flavors of the meat and sauce. Great with rice.

Lamb has a strong flavor and is generally seldom eaten by the Chinese. Hence, there aren’t that many recipes out there featuring lamb. However, it is popular in the Xinjiang Province in north western China where the people there make lamb skewers, pilafs, and hot pots. For those of us who grew up in Southeast Asia, lamb is either grilled or roasted Western style or cooked Indian or Malay style in a curry.

Lamb Ribs

While grocery shopping recently, I came across this packet of lamb ribs at a very reasonable price. I decided to bring it home not knowing how I will cook it at that point. When I got home, I figured that braising it in black bean sauce may work since lamb has a strong flavor. While 3 pounds of ribs sounds like a lot, it really isn’t that much meat once it is cooked. I threw in a bunch of beancurd sticks to bulk it up and also to soak up some of that flavorful sauce. Lamb can be quite oily and so I had to skim off some of that fat while it was braising. Finally, to give the dish some color I garnished it with green onions cut into 2 inch lengths. It looked really good and I was happy with the results.

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Tools Used in Making This Braised Lamb in Black Bean Sauce

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• Japanese Style Earthen Donabe Clay Pot 10 inches
• Wood Spatula Turner Set (Straight+Diagonal)
• Pyrex Prepware 1-Cup Measuring Cup

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Braised Lamb in Black Bean Sauce

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

2 hrs 5 mins

Total Time

2 hrs 15 mins

 

Asian style Braised Lamb in Black Bean Sauce cooked with beancurd sticks to soak up all the wonderful flavors of the meat and sauce. Great with rice.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Chinese

Keyword: braised lamb in black bean sauce

Servings: 4

Calories: 1166 kcal

Author: Linda Ooi

Ingredients

• 6 oz beancurd sticks (170g)
• 2 racks lamb ribs (about 3 lbs/1.35kg)
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 inch ginger (minced) (30g)
• 2 cloves garlic (minced)
• 2 tbsp fermented black beans (50g)
• 1 tsp chili paste
• ¾ cup water (180ml)
• 1 tsp cornstarch mix with 2 tbsp water
• 3 green onions (cut into 2 inch lengths)

Instructions

1. Soak beancurd sticks for 30 minutes. Drain and cut into bite size pieces.
2. Carefully peel of the membrane on the bone side of the ribs. Then cut into small pieces.
   
3. Heat vegetable oil in a clay pot. Add ginger, garlic, fermented black beans, and chili paste. Stir fry for 2 minutes.
4. Add lamb ribs and toss to get it coated with sauce ingredients. This should take about 2 minutes.
   

5. Pour in water. Bring it to a boil. Cover pot with lid, reduce heat, and allow it to simmer for 1½ hours. Every now and then open the lid and skim off excessive fat.

   
6. Add prepared beancurd sticks to the pot. Continue to simmer for another 30 minutes.

7. Pour in cornstarch mixture. Continue to simmer for 1 to 2 minutes until sauce thickens.

8. Sprinkle green onions on the top. Turn off stove.

   
9. Serve warm with steamed rice.

Serving Suggestion

This Braised Lamb in Black Bean Sauce is best served with steamed rice and stir fry vegetables. Listed below are a few for your consideration.
• Sugar Snap Peas and Shrimp Stir Fry
• Stir Fry Bok Choy with Deep Fried Tofu
• Stir Fry Gai Lan (Chinese Broccoli)