Ginger beef stir-fry, and is he or isn’t he?

When I first arrived in France, I found it rather difficult to adapt to what I think of as the ‘grey’ mentality. By that I mean that things here are rarely seen in black and white; there is almost always an argument to be made for any number of subtle shades in between. In fact, if you happen to view the world in more absolute terms (as I often do), you risk being perceived as a bit basic and lacking nuance.

I was reminded of this recently when I read an article in Le Monde debating whether or not Trump is insane. How is that even a subject for debate? Surely, even for the French, there cannot be much doubt? I have to say, the case for the defence was astonishingly flimsy. How, exactly, does one defend somebody, supposedly the most powerful leader in the world, who digresses into public musings about the organisation of his wife’s underwear drawer? And even worse, uses the word: panties.

The following photograph is not an artful study in light and shadow. It is the picture I took of where we had parked the car when we went to a horse show in Bordeaux last week. Even the French would surely agree that, in future, I should equip myself with my glasses and learn to stand still before attempting photography in the dark. Needless to say, we spent quite some time wandering around the car park at midnight in search of the car…

Recipe for ginger beef stir-fry (serves 4-6)

Marinade

• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 5 tablespoons coconut aminos, or soya sauce
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
• 1 teaspoon chili pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

Mix the ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.

Beef stir-fry

• 1 large sirloin steak (about 700g)
• 1 tablespoon cornflour
• 2 tablespoons sesame seed oil
• 4 spring onions (scallions), sliced lengthways
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 or 3 hot chilies, seeded, sliced
• 1 tablespoon ginger, grated
• 3 tablespoons chopped coriander

Chill the steak in the freezer for 30 minutes before you slice it as this will make it easier to cut in thin slices. Slice the steak into 1.5cm thick slices. Marinate the beef: Mix the beef in with the marinade to coat and let it sit for at least 30 minutes, and up to 4 hours or overnight, in the fridge.

Make the cornstarch slurry: In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cold water to make a slurry. Fry the beef strips by heating the sesame oil in a wok or a large sauté pan, over a high heat. Pat he beef dry and, working in batches, sauté the beef until just brown outside but rare inside; no more than a minute. Transfer the beef to a bowl.

Place the chilies and garlic into the frying pan and stir-fry 30 to 45 seconds. Add the ginger and cook for a further 30 seconds. Return the beef to the pan, add the cornstarch slurry, the spring onions and mix everything together. Cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in coriander. Serve at once with rice or noodles.