When I was a child, I had braised oxtail with rice. I did not know it was oxtail, but I just knew it was very tasty. My mom was the best because she made me fat and happy. I just rediscovered this dish and found out the protein used was oxtail. I was home for the labor day weekend and I wanted to make the dish for my mom. I also ordered her a electric pressure cooker too. The first attempt was okay and my mom being who she is, an excellent cook, reminded me to add more salt and tenderize it longer. She is tough to please but that what makes great chefs.
Oxtail is a culinary name for the tail of cattle. It is bony, gelatinous meat usually cooked in a stew or braised in a slow-cooker. It is a good stock base for a soup. The meat is very tough if not cooked for a long time. The pressure cooker should reduce the cooking time. The problem I face with a pressure cooker is the sauce not fused into the meat. With a slow-cooker, the robust beef flavor comes from the bones and marrow while the collagen released thickness the stock. A perfect protein that does great for braising!
The savory sauce goes great with plain rice too.
Enjoy the remake of a more traditional Chinese recipe using simple ingredients found in a Chinese kitchen.
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Chinese Braised Oxtail w/ Fried Tofu
Serves 4-6
INGREDIENTS:
5 to 6 pounds pre-cut oxtails (5-8 pieces)
Note: fat trimmed if desired but I like to leave them on
Sea salt and ground black pepper
2 to 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
½ cup Shaoxing rice wine
2 cups low-sodium beef or chicken stock
1/3 cup dark or regular soy sauce
1½ tablespoons brown sugar
2 star anise
2 sticks of cinnamon
2 whole cloves
4 lemongrass stalks, trimmed and bruised
3 scallions, trimmed and cut into 2-inch lengths, plus 2 scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal, for garnish
6 slices fresh ginger
4 garlic cloves, peeled, sliced
3-4 Thai chili peppers, cut into 1/2-inch lengths
1 lime, zested and cut into small wedges
INSTRUCTIONS:
Difficult Level: 2 – Season, Cut, and Mix
Preparation time: 30 Minutes
Cook Time: 30 – 60 Minutes
Total Time: 60 – 90 Minutes
Directions:
1) Heat oven to 300 degrees. Generously season oxtails with sea salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large ovenproof pot with a tight-fitting lid. Working in batches if necessary to avoid crowding, brown oxtail all over, removing each piece when done. Add oil as needed.
2) When done browning, pour off extra fat from bottom of empty pot and set pot over high heat. Add wine and bring to a boil, scraping up browned bits. In a bowl, mix soy sauce and sugar with 2 cups stock and pour into pot. Add lemongrass, chili peppers, star anise, cloves, 2-inch pieces of scallions, ginger and garlic and bring to a boil. Turn off heat. Return oxtails to pot and add lime zest. Cover and transfer to oven. Cook 1½ hours.
3) Turn over pieces of oxtail, cover again and cook 1½ hours more, or until oxtail is very tender. Remove oxtails from pot and strain sauce into a separate saucepan; discard contents of strainer. Transfer oxtail pieces back to ovenproof pot. Cover oxtails and sauce and refrigerate overnight.
4) The next day, heat oven to 300 degrees; remove oxtails and sauce from refrigerator. Lift off any fat on surface of sauce and discard. Gently warm sauce until liquid, then pour over oxtails and stir in shiitake mushrooms. Cover with foil or a lid and bake 30 minutes.
5) Uncover, stir and raise oven temperature to 400 degrees. Cook, uncovered, 15 minutes. Stir again and cook another 15 minutes, until hot and glazed thickly with sauce. Remove oxtails from oven and serve over rice. Sprinkle each serving with thin scallion slices and squeeze lime juice over oxtails.
Adaption: http://sundaynitedinner.com/chinese-braised-oxtail-stew/
