Warm the tortillas. Wrap the tortillas in foil and pop them in a low oven at 120°C (250°F) while you cook. They should feel soft and pliable when you unwrap them, not stiff at the edges. Cold tortillas crack when you roll them, and that is the single most common reason a burrito falls apart.

Soften the vegetables. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and red pepper and cook for 5–6 minutes, until the onion turns translucent and glossy and the pepper softens at the edges. You want them sweet and yielding, not browned.

Bloom the spices. Stir in the garlic, cumin, smoked paprika and chilli powder. Cook for just 30 seconds — the moment the kitchen smells warm and toasty, they are ready. Any longer and the garlic will turn bitter.

Add the beans. Tip in the drained black beans along with the salt and pepper. Cook for 3–4 minutes, pressing about a third of them against the pan with the back of your spoon so they break down slightly. The mixture should look thick and a little creamy rather than loose.

Scramble the eggs. Beat the eggs in a bowl until completely uniform in colour with no streaks of white left. Pour them over the bean mixture and lower the heat to medium-low. Let them sit for 20 seconds, then push them gently from the edges towards the centre with a spatula.

Pull them off the heat early. When the eggs are about 80 per cent set — still slightly wet and glossy on top — take the pan off the burner. They will finish cooking from the residual heat. Overcooked eggs go rubbery, and there is no rescuing them once they do.

Melt in the cheese. Scatter the grated cheese over the top and fold it through once or twice. It should melt into soft, stretchy ribbons throughout the filling.

Fill and roll. Spoon a quarter of the filling down the centre of each warm tortilla, leaving a 4 cm border at the sides. Top with spring onions and coriander. Fold the two short sides in, then roll from the bottom up, tucking firmly as you go.

Toast the seam. Place each burrito seam-side down in a dry pan over medium heat for 1–2 minutes per side. You are looking for faint golden patches and a gentle crackle — that is the tortilla crisping and sealing itself shut.

Rest before slicing. Let the burritos sit for 2 minutes before cutting. This lets the filling settle so it stays put instead of spilling out onto the board.