Winter Braised Oxtail by Anaïs van Manen
"There is nothing better than a bowl of braised fall-into-pieces beef over rice, potatoes or even pasta. Oxtail has the perfect ratio of gelatinous goodies and meat for a long relaxing braise. It never disappoints. After the festive season, we all deserve an effortless, stress-free dish that we can forget in the oven." Anaïs van Manen, @anais.vanmanen
Ingredients
1 whole oxtail
Part A
- 2 spring onion
- 4-6 whole dried chilies
- 2 fat cloves of garlic
- 5 thin slices of ginger
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 & 1/2 tbsp of dark brown sugar if possible pure black sugar
- 1 tbsp of tomato paste
Part B
- 2 tbsp of dark soy sauce
- 3 tbsp of light soy sauce
- 3 tbsp of Sake or rice wine vinegar
- 1 & 1/2 tsp of 5 spices
- 1 tsp of curry powder
- 2 tbs of oyster sauce
- Juice and zest of 2 Clementines
- Clementine leaves if possible.
Pre-heat your oven to 130C
Heat 2 tbsp of oil on a medium heat, and add your Part A ingredients, you want to melt your sugar and fry your aromatics until they are fragrant.
Lightly Salt your oxtail and add it to your pan, and sear it on all sides. The melted sugar will coat your meat, giving it a shiny look. Deglaze your pan with Part B ingredients and add enough water to cover your meat.
Bring it to a boil and skim the fat. Reduce your heat, cover your braise with baking parchment and close the lid. Transfer the pot to your pre-heated oven and cook for 3 hours.
You can either eat it right away with a bowl of steamy rice or let it marinade in its cooking liquid for 12hrs for extra goodness.