To serve

A handful of  peanuts, toasted

Heat the oil in a large, deep frying pan over a medium heat. Add the spring onions, garlic, ginger, Sechuan peppercorns, star anise, cloves and cinnamon stick and fry for 2-3 minutes, until the spring onions have softened.  Add the stock, brandy, soy sauce, sugar and salt. Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for five minutes. Reduce the heat, so the mixture is barely simmering, then place the beef into the sauce. Poach the beef, turning occasionally, for 45 minutes to one hour, or until completely cooked through. Add the red and yellow peppers one minute before the end of cooking and allow to soften for a minute. Remove the beef from the pan and allow to rest for 4-5 minutes, then carve into thin slices. To serve, place the egg noodles, bean sprouts, sesame oil  and peanuts into a large bowl and mix together well. Divide the noodle mixture and place onto four plates. Place a few slices of beef onto each pile of noodles and drizzle over the sauce.

5 star anise

Chinese hot mustard (optional) 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove and thinly slice the dark green parts of the scallions, enough for 2 tablespoons, and set them aside. Cut the white and light green parts into 1-inch pieces. Season the pork with salt and pepper. In a braising pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Brown the pork on all sides. Transfer to a plate. Add the 1-inch scallion pieces, the ginger, carrot and celery to the pan and cook over medium-high heat until the scallions are tender, about 5 minutes. Add the wines, bring to a boil and reduce by half. Return the pork to the pan, skin-side up. Stir in the soy sauce, mirin, star anise and enough water to cover the meat by three-fourths. Bring to a boil, then cover the liquid with parchment and the pan with a tightly fitting lid or foil. Braise in the oven until the pork is tender, about 2 hours. Transfer the pork to a plate. Strain the braising liquid through a fine-mesh sieve. Discard the solids. Return the liquid to the pan, skim off the fat and bring to a boil. In batches, add the bok choy and boil until tender, about 2 minutes. Cut pork into ½ -inch-thick slices and divide, along with the bok choy, among 8 soup bowls. Pour the braising liquid over each and top with the sliced green scallions.  If you choose, serve with Chinese hot mustard and  cooked udon noodles or rice

Portuguese tarts                                                      Serves 12

Lightly grease a 12-hole 80ml muffin tray.

Put the egg yolks, sugar and corn flour in a pan and whisk together. Gradually whisk in the cream and milk until smooth. Place the pan over a medium heat and cook, stirring, until the mixture thickens and comes to the boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Transfer the custard to a bowl, cover the surface with cling film to prevent a skin forming and leave to cool.

 Preheat the oven to 200C.

Cut the pastry dough sheet in half, put one half on top of the other and set aside for 5 minutes. Roll up the pastry tightly from the short end and cut the pastry log into 12 x 1cm rounds. Lay each pastry round on a lightly floured surface and use a rolling pin to roll out until each is 10cm in diameter. Press the pastry rounds into the muffin tin. Spoon the cooled custard into the pastry cases and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the pastry and custard are golden. Leave the tarts in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.