Braised Oxtail

I’ve always found oxtail really intimidating to cook – something about the way it looks.. I think. However, once I started cooking oxtail, I realized that it’s really not that hard at all and it was aalll in my head.

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds oxtail
• 2 small carrots, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 stalks celery, finely chopped
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 inch piece of ginger, sliced into 4 pieces
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 3 tbsp shaoxing cooking wine
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 star anise
• 1 small piece rock sugar
• 2 tbsp cooking oil
• 2 cups of water

Directions:

1. In a dutch oven, or other pot, heat up 2 tbsp cooking oil over medium heat and brown the oxtail on all sides. Remove oxtail from heat.
2. Utilizing the residual oil, cook onion for 1-2 minutes over low-medium heat. Then add in celery, carrots, garlic, and ginger, and cook until the vegetables are softened ~5 minutes.
3. Add cooking wine and allow it to simmer for a minute.
4. Add tomato paste and soy sauce, combining it with the mirepoix. Then, stir in the oxtail.
5. Add the bay leaf, star anise, and rock sugar, along with 2 cups of water and let it simmer for 2 hours over low heat. (Optional: at the 90 minute mark, you can pull out the oxtail and debone. This is a recommended step if you’re planning to serve it over pasta)
6. Season with salt and serve with rice or noodles.