An Unlikely Pairing

Tonight I had planned to make a very simple dinner: braised daikon and steamed spareribs (pai gwaat in Cantonese.) I was very surprised to read an article which explained how well the spareribs would go with pinot. In fact, the article said the pairing of the spareribs would go phenomenally with that particular wine. I was very skeptical. I am used to pairing only a riesling with Chinese food. The fermented black beans in the sparerib makes the dish very tasty but also one that generally doesn't lend itself to pairing with wine .. or so I thought.

The braised daikon is a Japanese recipe that I came across which sounded very easy to make and also healthy. The daikon is cut into circular section (each section being about 1" in depth) and then simmered in a flavorful broth until tender. The broth is rice water, dashi, and soy sauce. You must use rice water (the water used to wash the rice in) because it will take away the natural inherent bitterness of the daikon. After about 80-90 minutes the daikon should be soft. Take the daikon out of the broth and drizzle a sauce of white miso, mirin, water, and sugar.

Steamed spareribs is a homestyle type of dish. It is akin to mac and cheese for Americans. The sparerib dish is very easy to make and satisfying to eat. You take 1" sections of baby back ribs and marinate it in oyster sauce, soy sauce, garlic, plenty of black beans, jalapeno slices, dark soy sauce, white pepper, and corn starch. You steam the entire dish for 25 minutes.

The meal itself was very delicious and tasty. When paired with the pinot I was completely blown away by how well the steamed spareribs went with it. It was a perfect marriage of flavors. The saltiness of the fermented black beans really was enhanced and complemented by the pinot. Mmm... this is a dinner I'll definitely make again. It is very simple to make and makes for a wonderful combination of flavors.

Veggie Pork Bun

Normally people think of BBQ pork filled buns when they think of Chinese buns. I have bought and eaten many BBQ pork buns. The other day, however, I rediscovered another favorite bun: the vegetable pork bun. It's a steamed bun filled with ground pork and vegetables (normally shredded napa cabbage.) I had forgotten how incredibly tasty this buns is and how enjoyable it is. It's much harder to make this type of bun than the BBQ pork bun. The BBQ pork bun filling is made by simply buying some BBQ pork from the deli and mixing together a sweet sauce. The veggie pork filling, however, requires you to season some ground pork and add some prepared vegetables to it.

Not many stores offer the vegetable pork bun (I suppose it isn't as popular as the BBQ pork bun.) If it's been awhile since you've had a veggie pork bun (or if you've never had one) I highly recommend it. Not only does it take more skill to make, it's a great change of pace from the normal BBQ pork bun. It is filling, satisfying, and much harder to make taste right.