London, barely, plus Yorkshire pudding and my Sunday roast

Ingredients

SUNDAY ROAST SHORT-RIBS:
• 106 oz (3 kg) bone-in short ribs
• 1/4 (75 grams) Dijon mustard
• 6 shallots, peeled
• 8 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1" square (2.5 cm square) ginger, peeled
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1/4 cup (22 grams) ground coffee beans
• 1/4 cup (26 grams) coarsely ground black peppercorns
• 2 tbsp (15 grams) smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp salt
CURRIED GRAVY:
• 6 tbsp (84 grams) short-ribs dripping, or unsalted butter
• 6 tbsp (47 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tbsp curry powder
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp light brown sugar
• 1 cup (245 grams) plain yogurt
YORKSHIRE PUDDING: adapted from Allrecipes.com
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup (230 grams) whole milk
• 1 cup (125 grams) cake flour (9% protein), or replace 1 tbsp of all-purose flour with cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 6~8 tsp short-ribs drippings, or lard, chicken fat, canola oil
• ground white pepper to season
HERB SALAD:
• 2 large handful (47 grams) fresh mint leaves
• 1 small handful (20 grams) fresh cilantro leaves
• 6 shallots, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp fish sauce

Instructions

1. ROAST SHORT-RIBS: Puree the Dijon mustard, shallots, garlics, ginger and salt in a food-processor until smooth. Place the bone-in short ribs inside a deep baking-pan, then evenly rub the mustard-mixture all over the ribs. Mix together ground coffee, coarsely ground black peppercorns, smoked paprika and salt, then evenly coat the ribs with a thin layer of this spic-mixture. We only want a thin coating, so you might have some mixture left (use it on a steak!). Cover with plastic-wrap and let the ribs marinate for several hours or overnight in the fridge if you can (so start in the morning or the night before). Preheat the oven on 330 F/165 C. Cover the baking-pan tightly with foil, then roast in the oven for 4:30 to 5 hours, until a fork can be easily inserted into the meat.
2. Carefully remove the short-ribs into another warm plate, then cover tightly with foil to keep warm. Transfer all the drippings (fat) and juices left in the baking-pan into a measuring-cup. Skim off all the drippings that float to the top, and reserve. You should have about 2 cups of juice left (if not, add chicken stock to make it to 2 cups).
3. MAKE CURRIED GRAVY: In a sauce-pot over medium heat, cook 6 tbsp of drippings (my short-ribs were particularly lean and I didn't get much dripping, so I made up the rest with unsalted butter) with flour, curry powder and onion powder for 1 min. Add the reserved juices from roasting, and whisk constantly until it comes to a simmer and thickened. Add the plain yogurt and whisk until warmed through, then turn off the heat (do not let boil). Cover and set aside until needed.
4. MAKE YORKSHIRE PUDDING: Start the batter while the short-ribs are roasting, AT LEAST 1~2 HOURS before the ribs come out of the oven. The one most important thing I've learnt from my several trials/failures at making this recipe, is that the batter MUST REST. If your Yorkshire pudding didn't rise, chances are, the batter didn't rest long enough. Most recipes say 20 min but I say AT LEAST 40 min to ideally 1 hour if not longer.
5. In a container or jar that's easy to pour, whisk eggs and milk together until well and evenly blended (some recipes say whisk till foamy, but really, I find it having nothing to do with the rise what so ever). Add the cake flour (makes fluffier puddings) and salt, then whisk gently until you have a loose but smooth batter with bits of tiny lumps. Cover with plastic-wrap, then let rest for at least 40 min to 1 hour (I've even tried making the batter the night before and kept covered in the fridge, sky-high, my friend).
6. When the short-ribs are done roasting, increase the oven temperature to 375 F/190 C. Add 1 tsp of short-ribs dripping (or lard, chicken fat, canola oil) into each muffin-holes but leaving one empty in between each (the pudding will need room to expand)(if using a Yorkshire pudding-mold, then this is not a concern). Once preheated, place the muffin-pan inside until the drippings are smoking, about 5~10 min. If there is foam on the surface of the batter, gently remove it with a spoon (it creates jagged surface that gets burnt) without stirring the batter. Pour the batter right into the centre of each mold until about 70% full. The dripping should be pushed aside and insulate/surround the batter from around the mold. This is important not only that it makes a crispier crust, but it prevents sticking which, EVEN JUST A LITTLE BIT, will drag the pudding down from a good rise.
7. Now bake for 30~35 min until puffed, set and golden browned on all sides, and don't open the oven during the entire process. Nothing too exciting will happen in the first 5~10 min so don't panic. And by around 25 min or so, the puddings may look puffed and done, but they're not. The interiors are still undercooked and unstable, so opening the oven or removing them will result in major deflating. They must bake for a full 30~35 min. You can increase the temperature to 410 F/210 C for the last 5 min to get a darker browning. Out of the oven, transfer to a cooling rack and immediately dust with some ground white pepper. Must. Eat. Fast.
8. MAKE HERB SALAD: Mix fresh mint leaves, cilantro leaves and thinly sliced shallots together, then toss with extra virgin olive oil to coat (before adding the lemon juice and fish sauce). Add the lemon juice and fish sauce, and toss to combine.
9. TO SERVE: Pour a generous puddle of curried gravy over the short-ribs and inside the hollow Yorkshire puddings, then eat them with a bit refreshing highlights from the herb salad.