Oxtail Soup

For somebody who enjoys eating (within reasonable limits, I suppose), oxtail soup has long been one of my favourites. I remember my grandma used to make a really delicious oxtail soup, very rich and filling. One bowl and you'll be hooked. My grandma passed on years ago, but even now I could still recall the taste of her cooking (that's just how good she was..)

The second person who makes the best oxtail soup? my mom, of course. Hers isn't as rich as my grandma's used to be (she used first quality rombutter - Dutch's term for butter), but still very delicious nonetheless. I think I can replicate her version, but these days I choose to tone down on the flavours a little. Too tasty sometimes isn't that good for your body (it desensitize your taste buds, for one)

So here goes my take on oxtail soup. Make sure to choose fresh oxtail as it affects the melt-in-the mouth factor. I like to choose the smallest pieces, plus they take less time to cook! They say slow cooking is the new trend. Let's embrace it!! ^_^

Oxtail soup

Oxtail Soup - serves 3

Ingredients

500 g oxtail (1 sml tray- approx 8-10 small & medium pcs)
1 large stalk of celery, cut into 3 parts
1 large carrot, peeled & chop thickly
2 medium potatoes (royal blue is best), peeled, chop thickly
6 candle nuts
1/2 tsp nutmeg powder
1/2 tsp white pepper
1 medium brown onion, slice 1/2 cm thick
approx 3 L water
1 heaped tsp unsalted butter * optional
salt to taste

Method

Prepare the oxtail:

1. Wash the oxtail thoroughly, place in deep pan & cover with cold water. Boil on high heat for 10-15 minutes until scum surfaces. Throw away the water and rinse the oxtail. 
2. Cover the rinsed oxtail with fresh cold water, and boil on small heat. Throw in the candle nuts as well. - simmer for 1 hour.

1. Wash & cut all the veggies, soak the potato in cold water.
2. *optional: sautee the onion pieces with butter until tender & fragrant. Set aside. Otherwise, leave the onion raw.
3. After an hour, sprinkle a generous pinch of nutmeg & white pepper. Toss in the sauteed/raw onion & celery. Simmer for another hour. Water may be added as needed.
4. Once the meat is tender (takes approx 2-2.5 hours with small/medium oxtail pcs), add the carrot, then potato in the last 20 minutes of cooking.
5. Season to taste with salt. Scoop the soup into a bowl and sprinkle with fried shallots & chopped up celery leaves. 

If you like richer soup, do sautee the onion and add more candle nuts. They act as meat tenderizer, and will make the soup creamier. I used to put the potatoes in with the onions & celery so by the time the soup is ready, most of the potato have dissolved into the soup. Royal blue potato is superior than Nadine, I feel, it is not starchy and leaves a smooth, clean feeling when you savour them.

This is another winter staple at our house. My husband, A, loves it and he always leaves perfectly clean oxtail bones (he loves munching on the tendons), so if I slow-cook this for about 3 hours, the meat will be about to fall off-the bone, tender and has melt-in-the mouth texture - which is why it is so yummy!