Aromatic Chinese Oxtail Stew Recipes

CHINESE BRAISED OXTAILS

Steps:

• Clean the oxtails and pat them dry. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat and brown them on all sides.
• Remove the oxtails and set aside on a plate. To the pot, add the ginger, garlic, star anise, cloves, and bay leaves. Cook for about 2 minutes.
• Now it's time to add cooking wine, dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, rock sugar, water, and salt (careful with the salt, as the soy sauce is already quite salty).
• Add the oxtails back to the pot, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 2 to 3 hours, depending on how tender you like your oxtails. Check halfway through and add more water if needed.
• Uncover, and continue simmering for another 30 minutes until the meat is tender and most of the liquid has evaporated. Stir occasionally, and add additional water if necessary to avoid sticking. Serve!

MAMA CHAN'S OXTAIL STEW

Steps:

• Place the oxtail and half the ginger coins in a large wide pot and cover with water by 1 inch. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and let simmer for 10 minutes. If foam forms on the surface, use a large wide spoon to spoon it off and discard.
• Carefully transfer the pieces with a slotted spoon or tongs to a colander and rinse under cold water. Place colander over a large bowl and set aside. Discard the water.
• In a medium bowl, whisk the oyster sauce, soy sauce and sugar together until combined. Set aside.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large wide nonstick skillet or Dutch oven over high heat. Once shimmering, add the remaining ginger coins, the carrots and onions. Toss until the vegetables are well coated in the oil and slightly golden brown, 2 to 4 minutes. This will prevent the carrots from breaking apart during braising. Transfer the vegetables to a 6-quart Instant Pot®.
• Return the skillet to high heat. Add the remaining tablespoon of canola oil and heat until shimmering. Add the shallots and cook, stirring, until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the ketchup and bring to a full boil, about 30 seconds. Add the blanched oxtail pieces. Toss until the oxtail is fully coated. Add the oyster sauce mixture to the skillet and toss until everything is coated and the sauce is syrupy. Let simmer until the sauce has slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Taste the sauce and season with more soy sauce if needed. Transfer to the pot with the carrots. Add 4 cups of water.
• Follow the manufacturer's guide for locking the lid and preparing to cook. Set to pressure cook on high for 1 hour 30 minutes (see Cook's Note). After the pressure-cook cycle is complete, follow the manufacturer's guide for quick release and wait until the quick-release cycle is complete (this should take about 2 minutes).
• Being careful of any remaining steam, unlock and remove the lid. Skim up to 1/2 cup of fat from the top of the stew. Set to high sear/sauté and add the tomatoes. Let cook, uncovered, until the tomato quarters have softened and are falling apart, about 15 minutes. Serve with rice.

TAIWANESE STYLE OXTAIL STEW

Steps:

• Heat oil in a Dutch oven or large pot with a lid over medium-high heat. Coat the oxtails in the flour and place in the Dutch oven. Cook until browned on each side. Stir in the 2 diced tomatoes, red wine, and enough water to cover the meat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cook for 3 hours, adding additional water or beef broth if the liquid becomes low.
• After 3 hours, skim off some of the fat from the top and heat it in a skillet. Cook and stir the onion until browned, about 8 minutes. Stir in the chopped tomato and carrots. Cook for about 3 minutes. Stir in the beef broth, soy sauce, and tomato paste. Bring to a boil, then stir the onion mixture into the oxtail. Allow to cook for 20 minutes, stirring in more water if the liquid becomes too low.

EASY OXTAIL STEW

Steps:

• Mix oxtail, water, broth, onion, garlic, onion salt, salt, and pepper together in a large Dutch oven. Bring to a boil. Cover, turn heat down to a simmer, and cook until meat falls from the bone, about 2 1/2 hours.
• Stir potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, bell pepper, and green onions into the pot. Cover and let simmer until vegetables are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

OXTAIL STEW IN PEANUT SAUCE (KARE-KARE)

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Season the oxtails well with salt and pepper.
• Heat 3 tablespoons vegetable oil over medium to medium-high heat in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed, ovenproof pot with a lid. Brown the oxtails on all sides then remove them to a plate. (You may need to do this in batches, so as not to crowd the pan.)
• Remove all but a tablespoon or so of the fat in the bottom of the pot and reduce the heat to medium. Add the onions, celery and carrot and cook them until they are soft and aromatic, about 3 to 6 minutes.
• Stir in the thyme sprigs, letting them just soften, then add the red wine and stir with a wooden spoon or spatula, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot.
• Add the oxtails to the pot with the shaoxing wine and enough stock to fully cover the meat. Cover the pot and let it cook in the oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, or until the meat is fork tender but not falling off the bone.
• About 15 minutes before the oxtails are done, prepare the vegetables: Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the eggplant, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another 5 minutes until eggplant is softened, then set it aside.
• Prepare the beans: Wipe the skillet clean, increase the heat to medium-high and add 1 tablespoon oil. Add the beans, season with salt and pepper and quickly stir-fry for 3 to 4 minutes, then set aside.
• Prepare the bok choy: Add the remaining oil to the pan, cook the bok choy with a pinch of salt until bright green and tender, about 2 minutes, then set aside.
• When the oxtails are tender, remove the meat from the liquid in the pot and set it aside on a plate. Strain the fat and any other matter out of the braising liquid and discard it. You should have 5 cups of liquid; if you have less, add additional stock to total 5 cups, then simmer the liquid over medium-high heat until it has reduced by half.
• Turn the heat to low, and using a hand blender, mix in the peanut butter and soy sauce and sugar, to taste. Add the achuete oil, blend again and let simmer for 2 minutes to thicken slightly.
• Return the meat to the pot and let it cook until heated through, a minute or two. Serve hot with the room temperature vegetables on top, rice and bagoong on the side.