Place the rib pieces, clear rice wine, light soy sauce, sugar, salt, oyster sauce, sesame oil, and white pepper into a bowl. Mix until the ribs are evenly coated. Cover and marinate in the fridge overnight for best results.
We highly recommend marinating overnight (marinating for less time will yield less tender ribs). However, if you’re strapped for time, marinate for at least 1 hour—or at least 2 hours for meatier ribs.
Add the cornstarch and water to the marinated ribs, and mix well until there is no standing liquid at the bottom of the bowl.
Heat a saucepan over low heat. Add the oil and garlic, and stir occasionally until the garlic turns slightly translucent and is fragrant but not browned—about 4-5 minutes. (Garlic turns bitter if overly browned or burned in hot oil.)
Place the taro cubes in a single layer on a large heatproof shallow bowl. Place the marinated ribs on top of the taro. Then spoon the garlic and oil evenly over the top of the ribs.
Next, bring some water to a simmer in a metal steamer or in a wok with a metal steaming rack set in the bottom. (Learn more about how to set up a steamer.) Place the heatproof bowl with your ribs into your steaming apparatus, cover, and steam for 20-25 minutes, or until the ribs are opaque and the taro is cooked through.
Garnish with chopped scallion if desired, and serve over rice with your favorite stir-fried vegetable on the side.