Sour Plum Steamed Pork Ribs and Sour Plum Lotus Root Slices

Why people make these dishes

Sour plum (suan mei) has been a staple of Chinese kitchens and medicine cabinets for a very long time, and for good reason. The sour, slightly salty preserved plum is thought in Chinese food therapy to help the body maintain a healthy internal environment — supporting the idea of counteracting an overly “acidic” body state with alkaline-forming foods. In practice, sour plum is prized as a digestive stimulant and appetite opener. It pairs wonderfully with rich, fatty proteins like pork, cutting through the heaviness and adding a bright, tangy flavour that is deeply satisfying. These two recipes — one hot and savoury, one cold and pickled — show how versatile a single ingredient can be.

Method

Sour Plum Steamed Pork Ribs:

1. Combine sour plum with ginger, garlic, chilli, sugar, salt, soy sauce and potato starch to form the marinade.
2. Toss pork rib pieces with the marinade and leave to marinate for 30 minutes.
3. Arrange in a heatproof dish and steam over boiling water for about 12 minutes until cooked through.
4. Serve immediately. (The same plum marinade also works well with chicken wings or pork collar.)

Sour Plum Lotus Root:

1. Soak the sour plums in cold boiled water for 30 minutes, then stir in sugar, vinegar and salt to form a brine.
2. Peel the lotus root and drop immediately into a pot of boiling water. Blanch for 3 minutes, then remove.
3. Place the blanched lotus root into the plum brine. Leave to soak for 4 to 5 hours.
4. Remove, slice thinly and serve as a refreshing side dish.

Nourilo’s Tips

For lotus root, always blanch briefly before adding to the plum brine — do not eat it raw. The same sour plum marinade is equally delicious with chicken wings or pork collar. Plum wine is a wonderful way to preserve the benefits of sour plum: steep 600 g of fresh green plums with a bottle of glutinous rice wine or red rice wine and half 600 g of rock sugar in a glass jar. Seal and leave for two to three months. The resulting wine shares all the digestive and body-balancing benefits of the fresh plum.