Kapiolani Oxtail Soup Recipes

OXTAIL SOUP

Steps:

• Parboil oxtails for approximately 30 minutes. Rinse under warm water four times and trim of any excess fat.
• Return oxtails to stock pot, adding dried orange peel, star anise, and ginger. Reconstituted shitake mushrooms can also be added at this time as an option. Add water so that it's about 2" above the oxtails. Bring to a rolling boil and reduce heat to simmer. Add salt to taste. We normally would use rock salt but coarse sea salt or kosher salt will work. I prefer to undersalt and adjust seasoning at the end.
• Simmer for approximately 1 hour, skim any foam/scum that may appear on the surface. Add peanuts.
• Simmer for an additional 2-3 hours or until oxtails are tender. Set aside to cool, then refrigerate overnight.
• Remove from refrigerator and remove any remaining scum and congealed fat.
• To serve, reheat for about 30 minutes on low, or until warmed through. As an option slice 2 heads of Kai choy cabbage into 2 inch pieces, parboil and drain. Add to soup as it is reheating. Place 3-4 oxtails in each bowl, with enough broth to cover. Garnish with chopped cilantro, chopped green onions,freshly grated ginger and soy sauce.
• Serve with steamed rice in a separate bowl and hot tea.
• Mandarin orange peel are sold in Chinese medicinal shops as chen pi. Orange peel is sold by McCormack on the spice rack (2 tsps). You can make your own. Wash and peel an orange by taking off the peel in wide strips with as little of the pith as possible, or remove the whole skin off a mandarin. Place peel in a single layer spread on parchment paper in the oven at 200 degrees F. for about25-25 or until it is crispy. and curled, times may vary so make sure it does not burn, turn halfway through.

OXTAIL SOUP I

Steps:

• Rehydrate dried mushrooms in hot water for 30 to 45 minutes. Drain, and slice.
• Trim all fat off oxtails. Spread on a shallow roasting pan. Roast at 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) for 45 minutes. Drain off fat, reserving about 2 tablespoons.
• Add 1 cup of water to roasting pan in which oxtails were browned. Heat, stirring constantly, to dissolve browned bit. Reserve.
• In a large stock pot, saute onion, carrots, parsnip, mushrooms and turnip in reserved fat until soft, about 10 minutes. Add browned oxtails. Drizzle brandy over the saute. Ignite.
• Pour reserved water and browning over the oxtails and vegetables. Add remaining 5 cups of water. Add savory, bay leaf, barley, salt, and pepper. Bring to boil, and then reduce heat. Cover, and simmer slowly for 2 hours. Adjust seasonings.

SLOW-COOKER OXTAIL SOUP

Steps:

• In a large skillet, brown oxtails in oil over medium heat. Remove from pan; place in a 5-qt. slow cooker. , Add carrots and onion to dripping, cook and stir until just softened, 3-5 minutes. Add garlic, cook 1 minute longer. Transfer vegetable mixture to slow cooker. Add tomatoes, broth, bay leaves, salt, oregano, thyme and pepper; stir to combine. , Cook, covered, on low 8 hours. Add cabbage, cook until cabbage is tender and meat pulls away easily from bones, about 2 hours longer. Remove oxtails; set aside until cool enough to handle. Remove meat from bones; discard bones and shred meat. Return meat to soup. Discard bay leaves., Freeze option: Freeze cooled stew in freezer containers. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Heat through in a saucepan, stirring occasionally; add broth if necessary.

OXTAIL SOUP

Steps:

• Up to two days ahead, tip the oxtail into a bowl and season with a little salt. Tie the thyme sprigs, bay leaves and parsley stalks together and put in the bowl with the peppercorns and star anise. Pour over the wine, then cover and chill for up to 48 hrs.
• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 4. Lift the oxtail out of the marinade, reserving the mixture. Heat a drizzle of the oil in a large casserole pan and, in batches if needed, brown the oxtail. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Add another drizzle of oil and cook the carrots, onion, celery and garlic until just starting to brown. Stir in the flour and ketchup and cook until you have a thick paste. Pour over the reserved marinade and simmer for 1 min. Nestle the oxtail back in the pan and pour over as much stock as you can, chilling any extra to use later. Bring everything to a gentle boil, scoop off any froth then cover and place in the oven for 3 hrs 30 mins, stirring once or twice until the meat is very tender.
• Remove the soup from the oven and leave to cool slightly, then lift the oxtail from the broth and shred the meat using two forks. Discard the bones and transfer the meat to a bowl. Sieve the liquid into another bowl, then cover and chill overnight.
• Remove and discard any fat that has solidified on top of the soup. Tip the broth into a saucepan and simmer until silky, adding more stock if the broth is too thick. Stir through the shredded meat until warmed through. Season to taste, then ladle into bowls and scatter over some parsley leaves, if you like.