Soy & sake-marinated striploin of beef

Remove the skin and back fat from the striploin, then trim off any other tissue or fat so the joint looks as ‘clean’ as a fillet steak with no more than 1cm/1⁄2in of fat left. Put the beef into a deepish, non-reactive, fairly tight-fitting dish.

Whisk all the other ingredients, except for the groundnut oil, with 4 tablespoons cold water. Pour this over the beef, turning to coat well. Cover and chill for 6-24 hours, turning the beef every few hours, or when you remember – frequently not the same thing.

When you are ready to cook the beef, preheat the oven to 220C/Gas 7/fan oven 200C. Take the joint out of the marinade and pat it as dry as you can with kitchen paper. Put a large frying pan over a high flame and, while it’s heating up, smear the oil over the beef, using the palms of your hands.

Put the beef into the searingly hot pan and brown it very quickly on all sides (including the ends), using a pair of stout tongs to turn it.

Transfer the meat to a metal rack set in a roasting tin. Put the tin on the middle shelf of the oven and roast the beef for 30 minutes, if you like your meat medium-rare in the middle. Cook it for another 10-15 minutes if you prefer it less pink, but this is not a recipe which lends itself to well-done beef – without any protective fat, the meat will be dry and horrible.

Leave the beef to rest in a warm place for 10-15 minutes, then transfer the joint to a carving board or platter, and slice it fairly thinly.