The first time I had oxtail soup, I’d just returned to
Hawaii after 10 years on the mainland, and was introduced to it by my
mother-in-law, who owned a local-style restaurant in downtown Honolulu. She
made it a point to tell me that the natural gelatin (which was copious) from
the oxtails was good for one’s health.
It was delicious. One of my jobs (when I worked there on
holidays and some weekends) was cutting the oxtails into vertebral segments.
Once you knew how to do it, it was a snap.
After my in-laws closed their restaurant, I had to rely on
other restaurants, with varying degrees of success. I never made it myself.
Until now.
Determined to learn how, I did research, finding a basic
recipe on the ‘Net, and adapting it to my own taste. You know what? It worked.
I made my first pot recently and it was a resounding success. Uber-yummy. Most
delicious.
This recipe serves eight hungry people, and here’s how I
made it:
INGREDIENTS
- OXTAILS, 5 pounds, separated
- ORANGE ZEST, 1 orange (or, 1 strip of dried orange peel)
- STAR ANISE, 6 whole
- GINGER, 2 three-inch chunks, sliced thin lengthwise
- SALT, 2 or three tablespoons, to taste
- PEANUTS, ½ cup shelled, skinned, raw
- SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS, 8, soaked if dried, sliced into strips
- CHAI PO (Chinese preserved turnip), one lump, chopped up
- MUSTARD GREENS, 2 bunches fresh (about 6-7 cups loosely packed), coarsely chopped
- GREEN ONIONS, 2, chopped, for garnish
- GINGER (Again), finely grated, for garnish
DIRECTIONS
- Fill a large pot halfway with water and bring to a boil. Add the oxtails and parboil for 30 minutes.
- Drain the pot, rinse the oxtails with water, trim off any unwanted fat (I leave mine on, it adds to the flavor).
- Return the oxtails to the pot and cover by an inch with cold water. Add the orange zest, star anise, ginger and salt.
- Bring to boil, reduce to simmer, cover and simmer for an hour.
- Add the peanuts, mushrooms, chai po, and a handful of the mustard greens.
- Simmer for three additional hours (or longer), until the meal is fall-off-the-bone tender.
- Skim off the liquid fat and test the seasoning. Add in the mustard greens, simmer for an additional couple of minutes until the greens are tender.
- Serve with the garnishes.
(If you want to, let the soup cool and refrigerate
overnight. The fat will congeal and can be removed easily. Just reheat to eat.)
