Sticky Beef Ribs With Cucumber-Sesame Relish

Ingredients

• 250 ml soy sauce (1 cup)
• 250 ml Shaoxing wine (1 cup)
• 120 gm rock sugar, coarsely crushed (see note)
• 50 gm ginger, thickly sliced (10cm piece)
• 6 golden shallots, halved
• 4 spring onions, coarsely chopped, plus extra thinly sliced horizontally, to serve
• 1 head of garlic, halved
• 4 star anise
• 2 cassia quills
• 1.5 kg beef short ribs (4 ribs)
• 80 gm honey
• For brushing: vegetable oil
• To serve: roasted sesame seeds
• Cucumber-sesame relish
• 1 garlic clove, coarsely chopped
• 2 tsp roasted sesame seeds
• 50 ml rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 1 tsp finely grated ginger
• 4 baby cucumbers, unpeeled, cut into julienne on a mandolin