CHINESE CLEAVER RECIPES

Steps:

• Combine the ground pork with the soy sauce, pepper and cornstarch. Marinate the pork for 15 minutes.
• Rinse the black beans, letting them sit in the water for a few minutes to soften. Drain. Use a cleaver or knife to finely chop the beans. Peel and mince the garlic clove. Mash the garlic together with the soaked black beans. Wash the green onion and cut on the diagonal into 1-inch pieces.
• In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce, sherry, sugar, and chicken broth. Set aside. In a separate small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in the water and set aside.
• Lightly beat the eggs with the salt.
• Heat the wok over medium high to high heat. Add 2 tablespoon oil, swirling to coat the sides. When oil is ready, add 1/2 of the mashed black beans and garlic mixture. Stir-fry until aromatic. Add the ground pork. Stir-fry until it changes color. Remove and clean out the wok.
• Add 1 tablespoon oil. When the oil is hot, add the second half of the bean and garlic mixture. Stir-fry until aromatic. Add the sauce. Give the cornstarch and water mixture a quick re-stir and add to the sauce, stirring quickly to thicken. Add the ground pork back into the pan. Stir in the green onion.
• Stir in the beaten eggs. Remove the sauce from the heat, pour over shrimp or lobster and serve.

Steps:

• Have your butcher separate the spareribs into individual ribs and then into chunks which are approximately 7.5cm/3in long. Alternatively do this yourself using a heavy sharp cleaver that can cut through the bones.
• Mix the marinade ingredients together in a bowl and steep the spareribs in the marinade for about 25 minutes at room temperature. Remove the spareribs from the marinade with a slotted spoon.
• Heat the oil in a deep-fat fryer or large wok. When the oil is very hot and slightly smoking, slowly brown the marinated spareribs in several batches until they are brown. Drain each cooked batch on kitchen paper. (Leave the cooking oil to cool. Strain it through a filter if you want to re-use it when cooking pork.)
• Put the sauce ingredients into a clean wok or frying pan.
• Bring the sauce to the boil and then reduce the heat. Add the spareribs, cover and simmer gently for about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• If necessary, add a little water to the sauce to prevent the spareribs from drying up. Skim off any surface fat, turn onto a warm serving plate and serve at once.