WOK-FRIED BLACK PEPPER SHORT RIBS

Sweet, savoury and faintly smoky, this is the kind of plate that arrives still hissing from the wok.

• Short ribs, wok-fried until the edges catch and crisp.

• Black pepper sauce, glossy and sharp with heat.

• Onion, sliced thin so it softens into the sauce.

• Bell peppers, kept bright and a little snappy.

• Garlic, tossed in at the last minute.

The wok does the work here: high heat, quick turns, no time to stew. The ribs come out tender inside with a charred crust outside, and the black pepper sauce clings to every piece rather than pooling on the plate. Onion and bell peppers go in late so they keep their bite and their colour, and the garlic lands right at the end, still sweet rather than bitter. It is a rich, peppery plate that wants plain rice alongside it. Contains: soy, gluten. May contain: traces of nuts.