I have
a soft spot for any dish that contains oxtail. Although this animal part seldom
sat on my family’s dinner table, I’ve always loved its rich robust flavor. And
I’m always on the lookout for it whatever the cuisine. I haven’t had much luck,
though, searching for oxtail in Chinese cuisine; I’ve done much better with
Malay and western food.
I
remember that when I served oxtail at the restaurant I used to own in Hong
Kong, it would draw ooohs and aahhs whenever the lid was lifted off the pot,
because the space would immediately fill with its luscious aroma.
The
following recipe is the one I used in Hong Kong.
Oxtail Stew with Guinness
Oxtail 750 g
Plain
flour 4 tbsp
Oil 4 tbsp
Onion 2, chopped coarsely
Carrot 2, diced
Celery 4 stalks, diced
Potato 2, diced
Button
mushroom 150 g, halved
Salt 1 tsp
Butter 2 tbsp
Bacon 100 g, diced
Garlic 5 cloves
Shallot 5
Red
wine ¼ cup
Tomato
paste 3 tbsp
Guinness
stout 1 can
Coconut
juice 1 cup
5-spice
powder 1 tbsp
Lemongrass 2, bashed
Salt 1 tsp
Method:
- Preheat oven at
- Dust oxtail with flour. Brown oxtail with
oil. Set aside.
- Saute the vegetables and salt with the
remaining oil in the French oven for 5 mins. Lower the heat, cover the
pan, and sweat the vegetable for 10 minutes. Remove and set aside.
- Saute bacon, garlic and shallots with 1 tbsp
of butter. Return oxtail to the pot and deglaze it with red wine. Add
tomato paste and stir well.
- Pour Guinness stout and coconut juice into the
pot. Add 5-spice powder and lemon grass.
- Put parchment paper directly onto surface of
the stew. Make sure parchment paper covers the surface completely.
- Cover the lid and bake for 1½ hours. Add the sauted vegetable and continue to
bake for another 30 minutes.
- Season with salt and serve.