Pressure Cooker Sichuan Rice-Steamed Pork Ribs (Fenzhengrou, 粉蒸肉)
Published Feb 11, 2022, Updated Feb 13, 2024
Taste of Lunar New Year
Across South-Central China, just about every province cooks up some version of 粉蒸肉 (fěnzhēngròu), rice-steamed pork. In fenzhengrou, a special toasted rice powder coats the marinated pork before steaming and soaks up all the juices during. Despite originating in Jiangxi, Sichuan-style fenzhengrou with its Pixian doubanjiang base is arguably the most popular version today. Case in point: The China Cuisine Association named fenzhengrou one of Chongqing’s top 10 famous dishes and China’s 340 regional classic dishes in September 2018.
Fenzheng dishes encompass rice-steamed beef, pork belly and pork ribs. This pork rib version (粉蒸排骨, fěnzhēng páigǔ) reflects Mala Mama’s favorite homestyle preparation: sauced-up, fall-off-the-bone-tender, five-spice ribs over stupefying proportions of peak season kabocha squash, ready in just over an hour in the Instant Pot or other pressure cooker. Prepare the rice and obligatory vegetable sides as it steams away for a princely dinner spread your spouse will proceed to request every other week.
You’ll rarely see this dish in U.S. restaurants, but every family knows it. In my parents’ time, fenzhengrou was another special-occasion Spring Festival luxury. For a long period, meat was rationed with government-issued tickets allotting just 500 grams (just over one pound) of meat per person, per month. So families would save up their tickets for New Year festivities, to make staples like wind-cured pork belly and indulgences like fenzhengrou.
Ma also recalls how my grandpa would go to the countryside to buy extra New Year meat, where farming folk were willing to butcher and sell their own meat directly. You could bypass the ticketed meat quota this way, but you had to be acquainted with the locals to buy from them.
In those days, my great-grandmother made this dish with taro root. Ma still serves it this way often out of nostalgia, but the family favorite is now kabocha squash, which keeps its shape through steaming while somehow also melting in your mouth on contact. Sweet potatoes are also a popular choice. Whichever starchy root you choose, don’t skimp. Our family is always fighting for the last pieces of tender, sauce-drenched squash.
Preparing the Rib Marinade
In a medium bowl, soak the chopped ribs in enough cold water to cover for 10 minutes. We’ve made these with both baby back ribs and spare ribs, and both are delicious, although there is generally less meat on the spareribs. Process the squash while the ribs soak—peeling the skin is optional for kabocha. It’s full of nutrients and fiber and becomes wonderfully soft from steaming, so we usually keep it on.
After soaking, wash and rinse the ribs. Cover with more water, adding 1 tablespoon flour, and scrub at the ribs to clean off blood and any impurities. Rinse and wash until water runs mostly clear, not pink.
Add douban, soy sauces, Shaoxing/cooking wine and salt to the rib bowl. Combine and let marinate in fridge for 20 minutes while preparing the toasted rice powder. We use Pixian’s 3-year aged douban in this sauce to bring out the intensity of the toasted five-spice powder. If you use the younger red oil douban, try to scoop less oil, as the meat itself will render enough on its own for the whole dish.
Toasting the Rice Coating
In a dry wok or skillet, toast the rice with spices over low-medium heat until golden brown, about 10-15 minutes, stirring/flipping occasionally. Toss frequently once the rice yellows so it browns evenly without burning. Let cool off the heat.
Process the cooled rice mixture in a food processor or mortar + pestle until roughly pulverized. You don’t want everything to turn to fine powder, but some is desirable. Aim for rice pieces no larger than the size of a millet or couscous grain. Our food processor won’t allow as fine a grind as we wish, so ideally you’d go a little further than what’s depicted.
Preparing Fenzhengrou for Steaming
Add rice mixture to the liquid at the bottom of the marinating bowl first to let it hydrate. Next, add the minced ginger and toss to coat ribs evenly. Add the two tablespoons of additional water to the mix and combine, one tablespoon at a time, to ensure the rice powder coating isn’t dry. It doesn’t need to be wet. I find as long as it’s dampened, it’s sufficient to steam thoroughly. The only times the rice has not steamed properly is if it’s sprinkled on top like a powder without being worked into the natural juices first.
Line bottom and sides of heatproof steaming bowl with cubed squash, then top with rice-coated ribs. The vegetable lining may not look as photogenic once flipped, with the squash covering all the pork, but it doubles as an internal steaming bed for the pork to promote even steam distribution throughout. And, most importantly, it catches all the juicy drippings from the marinated pork while cooking. Friends don’t let friends fenzheng with the squash on top.
Set up the pressure cooker with plenty of water and steam at high pressure for 45 minutes. If your ribs are on the thicker side, they may benefit from steaming a little longer, around 50-60 minutes. Allow Instant Pot/multicooker setups to depressurize gradually on natural release. The ribs will be fall-off-the-bone tender and the squash will melt in your mouth. If not, you can continue to steam longer for 5 more minutes at a time with no problem. Serve immediately or keep warm and covered until ready to serve and enjoy!
To elevate your dining experience the mainland way, pair this spiced Sichuan fenzhengrou with a classic strong-aroma Sichuan baijiu like Ming River. Produced and bottled by Luzhou Laojiao, the oldest continually running distillery in China, Ming River’s baijiu comes to life in the distillery’s famous subterranean fermentation pits. And from now until 5:00 p.m. ET on February 25, 2022, The Mala Market is partnering with Ming River for the Love Lantern Sweepstakes!
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Pressure Cooker Rice-Steamed Pork Ribs (Fenzhengrou, 粉蒸肉)
Equipment
- Pressure cooker
- Large heatproof bowl
Ingredients
Steamed Pork Ribs
- 500 grams crosscut pork ribs, chopped into roughly 1.5-inch pieces (ask the butcher to do so if it is not pre-cut) approx. 1 lbs
- 750 grams kabocha squash, peeling optional, diced into 1-inch cubes (can sub taro, pumpkin or other hardy squash) approx. 1⅔ lbs
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon 3-year aged Pixian doubanjiang
- ½ tablespoon light soy sauce (Zhongba preferred)
- ½ tablespoon dark soy sauce (Zhongba preferred)
- ½ tablespoon Shaoxing yellow rice wine (huangjiu) or other cooking wine (liaojiu)
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Toasted Rice Powder
- 70 grams glutinous/sticky rice approx. ⅓ cup
- 70 grams jasmine rice approx. ⅓ cup
- 1 teaspoon fennel seed (xiao huixiang)
- 1 whole star anise (bajiao)
- ½ inch cassia bark (guipi)
- 1 bay leaf (xiangye)
- 1 teaspoon whole red Sichuan pepper (huajiao)
- 1 thumb ginger, minced approx. 15-20 grams
- 2 tablespoons water, as needed for mixing
Instructions
Steamed Pork Ribs
- In a medium bowl, soak the chopped ribs in enough cold water to cover for 10 minutes. Process the squash (skin peeling not required) while the ribs soak. After soaking, wash and rinse the ribs. Cover with more water, adding 1 tablespoon flour, and scrub at the ribs to clean off blood and any impurities. Rinse and wash until water runs mostly clear, not pink.
- Add douban, soy sauces, Shaoxing/cooking wine and salt to the rib bowl. Combine and let marinate in fridge for 20 minutes while preparing the toasted rice powder.
Toasted Rice Powder
- In a dry wok or skillet, toast the rice with spices over low-medium heat until golden brown, about 10-15 minutes, stirring/flipping occasionally. Toss frequently once the rice yellows so it browns evenly without burning. Let cool off the heat.
- Process the cooled rice mixture in a food processor or mortar + pestle until roughly pulverized. You don't want everything to turn to fine powder, but some is desirable. Aim for rice pieces about the size of a couscous grain.
- Add rice mixture to the liquid at the bottom of the marinating bowl first to let it hydrate. Add the minced ginger and toss to coat ribs evenly. Add the 2 tablespoons of additional water to the mix and combine, one tablespoon at a time, to ensure the rice powder coating isn't dry.
- Line bottom and sides of heatproof steaming bowl with cubed squash, then top with rice-coated ribs.
- Set up the pressure cooker with plenty of water and steam at high pressure for 45 minutes (we use the "Steam" setting). If your ribs are on the thicker side, they may benefit from steaming a little longer, around 50-60 minutes. Allow Instant Pot/multicooker setups to depressurize gradually on natural release. The ribs will be fall-off-the-bone tender and the squash will melt in your mouth. If not, you can continue to steam longer for 5-10 more minutes at a time with no problem. Serve immediately or keep warm and covered until ready to serve and enjoy!
Notes
Tried this recipe?
Are you kidding me? Just made this and it is ridiculously good! Definitely going into the permanent rotation. If you’re going to steam on the stovetop (which I did) you probably want to cover the bowl with some foil or something, especially if it’s not in the top steamer. (Otherwise too much water can drip down into it over the course of 2+ hours.)
Hi Ben, thanks so much for reading and sharing your tips! I’m so glad it worked out for you and you enjoyed it. If you want to make it more frequently without all the steps, you can multiple the toasted rice quantity and simply save the powder in an airtight container for future use too. 🙂
Just checking. Are we putting the bay leaf in the food processor? I’ve always removed them after cooking.
Hi Steve, thanks for reading! Sometimes we leave it in and grind it for a stronger flavor, other times we take it out. They’re safe to eat, but the toughness is annoying if you’re grinding in a mortar and pestle. The food processor takes care of it just fine though. If you don’t like the stronger taste from grinding it together, feel free to take out.
Wow, very tasty and impressive presentation! Made this for a hot pot party held at a friends’ house and the dish was a hit. Only modification to the recipe was leaving the riblets in the marinade over night. I did not peel the Kabocha per Kathy’s suggestion above. Take your time browning the rice. I used a food processor rather than a mortar/pestle. Steamed in the Instant Pot for 1 hour/10 minutes because on my trial run I discovered that 45 minutes of steaming did not yield the fall off the bone results. Recommend a clear Pyrex dish to show off the food.
Thanks for reading and sharing the kind words, Steve! You were right to continue steaming if the 45 minutes were insufficient for you. That fall-off-the-bone tenderness comes from continuing to steam after it is “done”.