This is a good recipe for using up any damaged birds. And everyone likes Chinese food – it’s quick and healthy. When I was experimenting for one of my books, I found that pheasant, ginger and soy are a marriage made in heaven. The secret to a good homemade stir-fry is a very hot wok or frying pan, and not cooking too much at once. It’s a perfect kitchen supper dish as it’s very much last-minute cooking.

Serves 4

■ 1 large head broccoli (or you can use mangetout or sugarsnap peas)
■ 2 Romano sweet red or yellow peppers (normal red or yellow peppers are fine)
■ Sesame or sunflower oil for frying
■ 2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped finely
■ 1 piece fresh ginger, 2cm long, peeled
■ 1⁄2 red chilli deseeded and chopped finely (if you don’t like chilli, leave this out)
■ Meat of 2 pheasants, cut into thin strips of about 5cm x 1cm and chopped finely
■ 1 packet Amoy “Straight to Wok” aromatic black bean stir fry sauce
■ 1 tbsp tamari soy sauce (or normal soy sauce)

Separate the broccoli florets and cut each lengthways into thin slices. Destalk and deseed peppers and cut into thin rings. Set aside the vegetables in a bowl.

Heat the wok or pan, and add a little oil, swirling around until it coats the whole pan and is very hot. Pour off any excess. Now add the garlic, ginger and chilli and fry for a few seconds. Add the pheasant strips in batches, stirring frantically. Each batch should take only minutes and the pheasant should be lightly browned but not overdone. When cooked, remove and place in a warm dish. Add more oil to the pan if need be. When all the meat is done, stir-fry the vege-tables, again in stages, removing to a separate dish while still crisp and crunchy. I find that adding a splash of water to create a little steam makes the broccoli go nice and green.

When everything is done, tip all the meat back in the pan, add the black bean sauce and soy and stir until bubbling. Tip in the vege-tables, toss, and serve immediately with sticky rice or noodles.

Serve it with rice or mash to soak up the juices, and plenty of vegetables.