Lee Kum Kee Beef Short Rib Pepper Pie

Preheat the oven to 160ºC regular bake.

Season the short ribs with the sea salt and ½ teaspoon of the pepper. Rub the short ribs with the olive oil.

Place a large Dutch oven or casserole dish over a medium heat. Fry the beef ribs on all sides until browned, they don’t need to be cooked through at this stage. Remove the short ribs and cover with tinfoil.

Decrease the heat to low and add the butter, onions, carrot and celery. Cook for 12–15 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions and celery have softened. Add the garlic, rosemary and oregano and cook for 3 minutes.

Add the tomato paste and fry for a further 3 minutes, then add the Lee Kum Kee Black Bean Garlic Sauce, Lee Kum Kee Premium Soy Sauce, sugar, stock and the remaining 1½ teaspoons of pepper.

Bring to a simmer then add the short ribs to the dish. Cover with a lid then bake for 4.5–5 hours or until the meat is tender and falling off the bone.

Use a spoon to skim off fat, then remove the bones and any sinew from the ribs. Use two forks to shred the meat. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 190ºC regular bake.

Line a 23cm pie dish with half of the pastry and fill with the cooled filling. Scatter over the grated cheese and top with a sheet of pastry. Press the edges of the pastry together with a fork or your fingers then trim off the excess pastry. Use any excess pastry to make shapes for the top of the pie — I made leaves.

Make a small cross in the centre of the pastry with a sharp knife. Brush the pie with the beaten egg, top with pastry shapes and brush over them with the egg wash.

Bake the pie for 45–55 minutes or until the top and bottom of the pie is a deep golden brown. If the pie is browning too quickly on top, loosely cover with a sheet of tinfoil while the base continues to cook.

Delicious served with mashed potatoes and steamed greens.