The best recipes always have history and stories behind them. They obtain their depth through generations of experimentation and improvement. This is a traditional Sichuan recipe, one of my absolute favorites, that I have made many changes to over the years. I will probably continue to make little tweaks to it down the line, but this iteration here is pretty damn good. Read my piece on this yummy dish over at FOOD52.

P O R K  R I B S  +  S W E E T  P O T A T O E S  S T E A M E D  W I T H  S P I C E D  R I C E  M E A L (粉蒸肉)

for the spice rice meal
1/4 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon whole sichuan peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon whole allspice
1/4 stick cinnamon, cassia bark preferred
1 star anise
1 black cardamom
4 dried hot Sichuan chiles
1/2 cup white rice, such as jasmine rice

for the pork and sweet potatoes
2 pounds pork country ribs or spare ribs, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
2 tablespoons Pixian broad bean paste, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon fermented black beans, roughly chopped
3 tablespoons fermented chile tofu brine (optional)
5 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
grapeseed oil, as needed
5 large cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
5 dried hot Sichuan chiles, de-stemmed and broken into halves
2 tablespoons Shaoxing cooking wine or other rice wine
2 medium sweet potatoes, cut on a diagonal into rough 2-inch chunks
cilantro, chopped for serving

Read the article and recipe here