“I do everything for my children,” Mrs. Ding said to me during our conversation—and  her dedication to her family appears clearly in her choice of recipe. 

“This isn’t something that I like, but rather a dish that my son loves,” she said. “It’s one of the things that I cooked more often while here in America.”

This dish is a staple of many Chinese households, whether in their country of origin or otherwise. But like many of her friends, Mrs Ding thinks it tastes far better when it isn’t made in America. 

“Here, they don’t let the blood out of the pic before they pack it away and freeze it, so the meat tends to have a gamey taste that you wouldn’t get in China. The meat could generally be less fresh, too.” 

In a unique choice of additional ingredients, Mrs Ding uses Chinese pickled mustard, also known as Zha cai in Mandarin (榨菜), to line the bottom of the plate. While the spare ribs steam, she shared, their flavor will imbue the vegetables to make a perfect accompaniment for white rice.

“It’s the most essential kind of everyday home food,” she concluded. “And it’s easy, too, so anyone can make it.”