For the Love of Food

I made saw these interesting Asian Lime Ribs over on Tastespotting the other day, and after reading the post and the promises of the best ribs ever, I figured they were worth a try.

The ribs were very very tasty, but I wouldn’t go as far to call them the best ribs ever…I still think mine are better. But, for Asian Lime ribs, these are awesome.

So, I ran into a slight “snag” when I was buying the ingredients for this recipe. I can’t use store-bought Hoisin Sauce b/c of the sugar content.

Luckily, my best friend (since I was 2 years old!) sent me a huge-ass care package from Miami (where we grew up) with all the yummy Cuban foods that can make the long trip over. It actually brought me to tears when I saw that she even included a Cuban cookbook for me. It was ESP…I had been cooking Cuban all week…and then the package came. Included in the package were 2 cans of black beans (among lots of other things that we ate right away). Yes, I can get black beans here, but not the same kind and I need a few hours to prepare them. This was perfect b/c it let me make the sauce quickly.

Anyways, so instead of rewriting all the very detailed picture instructions that you can find over at the Noble Pig for the Asian Lime Ribs, you can just go there yourself and check it out. I will share with you my Hoisin Sauce recipe. I got the base recipe here at cooking up a storm.

Ingredients:
15oz. canned Black Beans, rinsed and drained
2 Tablespoons Sesame Seed Oil
1 Tablespoon minced Garlic
1 Cup Fructose (or sugar)
1 Tablespoon Malt Syrup (or Molasses)
1/4 Cup Cider Vinegar
1/4 Cup Rice Vinegar
1/3 Cup Soy Sauce
2 Tablespoons Water
1/4 teaspoon crushed Red Chili Flakes

Directions:
In a large cast iron pan, heat the sesame seed oil until hot, but not yet smoking. Add the garlic and cook for about 2 minutes (it should not turn brown).

While the oil is heating, in a food processor, purée the black beans into a fine paste. If it is too thick, add a little bit of water (1 teaspoon at a time) until you can continue to pulse it.

Once the garlic is cooked, add all ingredients to your pan and stir together really well. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10-15 minutes. The sauce should coat and stick to the back of a wooden spoon.

Remove from heat immediately.

If you want to can it:

Have your cleaned cans and lids ready to go. Spoon in enough sauce so that 1-inch is left unfilled. Screw the lid on tightly and place up-side-down (lid-side-down). Leave it unmoved for 24 hours. By then it should be sealed and ready to be stored.

I have not done canning long enough to know how long it will hold. I would think the vinegars would make it hold for a few months if not much longer.

Also, it’s important that you spoon in the sauce while very very hot, if not, you will need to boil the cans for 10 minutes to achieve a popper seal.

I was able to fill 3 250ml jars with this (minus 1 inch from each jar). So, I probably made about 700ml??

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