Hwayangjeok (colourful skewers)

Step 1: Mix 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp sugar, 2 cloves garlic, 2 tsp toasted sesame oil and ¼ tsp ground black pepper, toss with 9 oz beef rump or sirloin, cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 20 minutes.

Step 2: Blanch 1 carrot in boiling salted water for 1 minute, until bright and just bendable, then drain and cool. Sprinkle ½ cucumber with ¼ tsp salt, leave 10 minutes and squeeze dry.

Step 3: Heat ⅝ tbsp neutral oil over a low heat, pour in 3 eggs and tilt to make an omelette about 8 mm thick. Cover and cook for 4–5 minutes, until set with no runny top, without letting it brown. Cool, then cut into sticks the same size as the vegetables.

Step 4: In the same pan, stir-fry 6 fresh shiitake mushrooms with ⅞ tbsp neutral oil and ¼ tsp salt over medium heat for 2 minutes, until soft and glossy, then the carrot and cucumber for 1 minute each, just to gloss them.

Step 5: Turn the heat up to medium-high, add the remaining 1 ½ tbsp neutral oil and fry the beef strips in a single layer for 2–3 minutes, turning once, until browned and cooked through with no pink juices. Common mistake: tipping in the marinade too; the beef stews instead of searing and the sugar burns.

Step 6: Thread the strips side by side onto 8 bamboo skewers in a colour pattern, for example beef, carrot, egg, mushroom, 4 oz yellow pickled radish (danmuji), cucumber, beef, and push them together so they form a flat ribbon.

Step 7: Trim the ends level with a sharp knife, warm the skewers in the dry pan for 30 seconds a side, and scatter with 1 tbsp pine nuts. Serve warm or at room temperature.