Deep Fried Pork Ribs with Fermented Bean Curd

 I'm a Teochew, which is a ethnic dialect group. The Teochews like to eat plain porridge with a few side dishes. When my brother and I were younger, my father always make us eat porridge. It always came with salted eggs, Bean Sprout, Tau Kwa or Tau Bok and Fermented Bean Curd. I can eat two bowls of porridge with just the Fermented Bean Curd. It's salty so we were only given two pieces to be shared.

I remembered in one of the older movies, Armour of God (龙兄虎弟), by Jackie Chan and Alan Tam, Alan Tam bought a bottle of Fermented Bean Curd to visit Jackie Chan. When asked what it was by May, a female character, they said it was Oriental Cheese. It was a good analogy. haha.... It's does look like Laughing Cow's Cream Cheese Cubes dip in chilli and Sesame Seed Oil.

The one I used in this dish is another type of Fermented Bean Curd. It's called the Shanghainese Fermented Bean Curd. Some called it Red Fermented Bean Curd.

* Shanghainese Fermented Bean Curd aka 南乳 *

Ingredients:

• 700g Pork Ribs
• 4 piece Shanghainese Fermented Bean Curd
• 4 tablespoon Cornflour
• 3 tablespoon Water
• 2 tablespoon sauce from Shanghainese Fermented Bean Curd
• 2 tablespoon Garlic Powder or Garlic Paste
• 1 tablespoon Chinese Cooking Wine
• 1 tablespoon Oyster Sauce
• 1 tablespoon Sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon Light Soy Sauce
• 1 egg
• Oil for frying

How to do it:

1. Add all ingredients except oil, together and mix well.
2. Marinade for at least an hour, best if over night.
3. Heat oil and deep fry till golden brown.
4. Drain and serve.

Note:
You may not like the smell of the fermented bean curd 'fresh' from it's pot but the taste of it after the ribs are fried is really subtle.
Add an additional tablespoon of cornflour if you prefer to have a thicker layer of batter.