Jeremy Pang: Black Pepper Beef and Potatoes Hong Kong Style

Remove any rind or fat from the steak, then slice the meat into roughly 3mm (1⁄8 inch) thick rectangles.

Tenderize by bashing them with a cleaver or meat hammer, creating a large surface area for quick cooking.

Finely chop the ginger and garlic. Place in a bowl, adding the remaining marinade ingredients. Massage the marinade into the meat, then tip into a food bag, seal tightly and marinate in the fridge overnight.

When ready to cook, peel the potato and sweet potato and cut into 2–3cm (¾–1¼ inch) cubes. Put the potatoes into a pan of cold, salted water, and bring to the boil on a high heat. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes, until the potatoes start to soften. Drain in a colander, giving the potatoes a little bash around the sides to roughen the edges and allow to cool (do not cover).

Roughly dice the onion and cut the spring onion (scallion) into rough chunks. Roughly chop the red and green chillies. Run your fingers along the stick of the green peppercorns to separate them. Mix the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl.

Now build your wok clock: place the marinated meat at 12 o’clock, followed by the diced onion, spring onion and chillies, and lastly the sauce bowl, clockwise around the plate. If you have a deep-fat fryer, set the temperature of the oil to 180°C (350°F). Otherwise you can use a wok or large saucepan, filled one-third with vegetable oil, to deep-fry, testing the oil with a wooden chopstick for heat (the end will fizz when the oil is hot enough for deep-frying). Once your oil is hot enough, deep-fry the potatoes for 7–8 minutes, until golden brown and crispy. Then remove from the fryer or wok and drain on a plate covered with kitchen paper.

Heat 5 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a wok on a high heat until smoking hot, then lay the meat in the hot oil, separating each piece as you add it. This is the meat ‘blanching’ stage – to quickly seal all the flavour and moisture into the meat. Using a slotted spoon or a wok ‘spider’, fry the meat in the oil for 30 seconds to 1 minute, then remove onto a layer of kitchen paper to soak up the excess oil.

Pour off any remaining oil from the wok into a heatproof bowl and bring to a high heat again. Once smoking hot, add the onion and spring onion and stir-fry for 30 seconds, then add the chillies and fry for 10 seconds. Maintaining a high heat, pour in your sauce, return the meat to the wok and continue to stir-fry for an additional 30 seconds. Add the crispy potatoes, toss through 3 or 4 times to wrap the sauce around them, and tip into a large bowl, ready to serve. Garnish with a few sprigs of coriander (cilantro).