Beijing beef

Slice the beef a quarter inch thick.

Grate a few cloves of garlic and a thumb of ginger onto the beef.

Add 1/2 tsp salt, black pepper to taste, 1 medium egg, 2 tbsp cornstarch and 2 tbsp fresh orange juice; mix well.

Set the beef aside 10 minutes.

Make the sauce: 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp oyster sauce, 1 tbsp tian mian jiang, 1 tbsp Chinese black vinegar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 1/2 tbsp honey, some dark soy sauce, 1 tbsp cornstarch, optional chili flakes and 1/3 cup orange juice; mix.

Spread cornstarch in a container, add the beef, cover with more cornstarch and shake; remove the excess.

Rest the coated beef 10 minutes so the starch bonds and does not flake off in the oil.

Cut red bell pepper and sweet onion into bite-sized pieces.

Heat 1 cup oil in the wok to 400F and add the beef piece by piece in order; fry about a minute per side, in batches.

Skim the cornstarch lumps with a sieve and pour off most of the oil, leaving about 2 tbsp.

On maximum heat, stir the bell pepper and onion a minute or two, then remove them so they do not release moisture into the sauce.

Pour in the sauce and stir over medium heat a couple of minutes until thickened.

Return the beef, bell pepper and onion and toss until every piece is coated.