Oxtails! My oh my how I love oxtails.
We grew up with oxtail stew, a deeply rich, hearty stew perfect for cold days. You don’t find them that often in the market, so when they appear I’ll usually pick up a few pounds.
The oxtail is the tail of a steer, usually cut into segments. It is a flavorful, tough cut, perfect for slow braising in stews or soups, well marbled with fat, and here’s the best part, the bones have a ton of collagen, so good for making a gelatinous stock.
Several years ago, my colleague Reid from the Hawaiian blog Ono Kine Grindz wrote about Hawaiian oxtail soup, which completely piqued my interest.
Apparently oxtail soup is served all over Hawaii. Unlike the thick and hearty stew I grew up with, the Hawaiian soup is relatively light (a blessing post holidays), with a thin broth and seasonings from ginger, star anise, orange, green onions, and cilantro.
Peanuts make an appearance too. What a combination! The flavors just sparkle together.
By the way, although oxtails are often hard to find at regular markets, Costco often carries them.
We grew up with oxtail stew, a deeply rich, hearty stew perfect for cold days. You don’t find them that often in the market, so when they appear I’ll usually pick up a few pounds.
The oxtail is the tail of a steer, usually cut into segments. It is a flavorful, tough cut, perfect for slow braising in stews or soups, well marbled with fat, and here’s the best part, the bones have a ton of collagen, so good for making a gelatinous stock.
Several years ago, my colleague Reid from the Hawaiian blog Ono Kine Grindz wrote about Hawaiian oxtail soup, which completely piqued my interest.
Apparently oxtail soup is served all over Hawaii. Unlike the thick and hearty stew I grew up with, the Hawaiian soup is relatively light (a blessing post holidays), with a thin broth and seasonings from ginger, star anise, orange, green onions, and cilantro.
Peanuts make an appearance too. What a combination! The flavors just sparkle together.
By the way, although oxtails are often hard to find at regular markets, Costco often carries them.
Hawaiian Oxtail Soup Recipe
An odd ingredient, one that isn't readily accessible in the stores around here at least, is dried orange peel. (Apparently you can buy it pretty easily in Hawaii.)
What I did for this ingredient is I used a vegetable peeler to strip off a long strip of peel (just the zest) from an orange. This I set on a shelf in my kitchen for a week to dry out. It worked great!
I wondered why one would use the dried and not fresh orange peel and I think perhaps it's because of the long cook time; maybe the dried peel holds up better to long cooking?
If I didn't think ahead to dry the peel, I would just use a couple teaspoons of orange zest instead.
What I did for this ingredient is I used a vegetable peeler to strip off a long strip of peel (just the zest) from an orange. This I set on a shelf in my kitchen for a week to dry out. It worked great!
I wondered why one would use the dried and not fresh orange peel and I think perhaps it's because of the long cook time; maybe the dried peel holds up better to long cooking?
If I didn't think ahead to dry the peel, I would just use a couple teaspoons of orange zest instead.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs oxtails
- 1 strip dried orange peel (zest, not the pith)
- 2 star anise
- 1 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, thinly sliced
- Salt, at least a tablespoon, more to taste
- 1/2 cup of shelled, skinned, raw peanuts (can sub roasted unsalted peanuts)
- 1/8 teaspoon chili pepper flakes (or more to taste)
- A handful of fresh mustard greens, coarsely chopped (about 2 cups, loosely packed)
- Fresh cilantro, chopped
- Green onions, white and green parts, sliced on diagonal
- Freshly grated ginger
Read More: Hawaiian Oxtail Soup
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