Hawaiian-Style Oxtail Soup

 

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

1. Fill a large pot halfway with water and bring to a boil. Add the oxtails and parboil for 30 minutes.
2. Drain the pot, rinse the oxtails with water, trim off any unwanted fat (I leave mine on, it adds to the flavor).
3. Return the oxtails to the pot and cover by an inch with cold water. Add the orange zest, star anise, ginger and salt.
4. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer, cover and simmer for an hour.
5. Add the peanuts, mushrooms, chai po, and a handful of the mustard greens.
6. Simmer for three additional hours (or longer), until the meal is fall-off-the-bone tender.
7. 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.
8. 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.)