Braised beef short ribs (Galbi-jjim)

1. Soak the short ribs in cold water for 1 hour, then blanch them in a pan of boiling water for 5 minutes, drain and rinse the grey scum off the bones under cold water.

2. Finely grate the peeled pear, the garlic and the ginger, and mix with the soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil and pepper.

3. Put the ribs in a heavy-based pan, pour over half of the sauce and the 1 litre of water, bring to the boil, then cover and simmer gently for 1.5 hours.

4. Meanwhile cut the carrots and daikon into large chunks and round off their edges with a knife so they don't break up during cooking; halve the shiitake.

5. Add the vegetables, chestnuts, jujubes and remaining sauce, and cook uncovered for another 40-50 minutes, until the meat falls off the bone and the sauce is thick and glossy.

6. Pile into a deep dish, spoon over the sauce, sprinkle with spring onion and sesame seeds and serve with rice.

Tip: Galbi-jjim is the star of the Korean holiday table (Chuseok, New Year). Dried dates can replace the jujubes; if you cook it the day before and chill it, the fat is easy to lift off the top – and it tastes even better the next day.