Oxtail Soup Recipe

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Oxtail soup is one of my favorite muslim Thai dishes. Unlike western oxtail stew and oxtail soup, this soup follows other Thai spicy soups by having a strong lime flavor and being spicy hot. The spices in this dish compliment the beefy broth and the tender meat. I can just smell the aroma of the soup as I’m editing this recipe.

In Thailand, the whole tail is first grilled over a hot fire to remove the hair. Then the tail is cut into 2-3 inch-sections without removing the skin. The best part of the soup is the soft and tender skin. I miss that part because we cannot get oxtail with skin attached in the U.S.; it's just a missed flavor opportunity!

4-5 Servings, Prep Time: 3 Hours, Total Time: 3 Hours

1/2 tablespoon cardamom
1 cup Cherry Tomatoes
4-5 chili peppers
2-3 cilantro roots
1 cinnamon stick
1 pinch cloves
1/2 teaspoon coriander
fried shallot
2 inch piece sliced ginger
3 limes
1 onion
1/2 tablespoon salt
7 cups water
2 1/2 lbs oxtail
1 Chinese Celery

Tips and Techniques

Use salt instead of fish sauce to season the soup. This is one of the few exceptions in Thai food where fish sauce doesn’t add the right flavor.

You can use a pressure cooker or crock pot to save cooking time.

If you can plan a couple days ahead, because of the long simmering time, you can break up the cooking over 2 or three days by cooking it for an hour or two each night while you're doing other things (like cooking tonight's meal or eating).

You can use any tomatoes, large or small because tomatoes do not play a major role here. I use cherry tomatoes for aesthetic purpose.

Regular celerly leaves can be substituted for Chinese celery, but use the leafy part or the thin stems, not the fat stems at the bottom.

Method

Making this soup is a 3-step process: simmer the oxtail until tender, add the spices and sprinkle the condiments.

Simmer the meat until tender: In a large pot that can hold up to 10 cups, simmer the oxtail with 7 cups of water. Simmer without lid for 2 hours. It is very important to simmer, not boil, the oxtail to keep the broth clear. Hard boiling will make cloudy broth.

Add the spices (cardamom, coriander, cilantro roots, cinnamon stick, cloves, ginger and peppercorns). You may want to put the spices in the spice pouch for easy removal. Or you can strain the broth when the meat is tender. At the end of 2 hours, remove the spices and add the onion (cut in half and quarter) and salt. Simmer for another hour. 5 minutes before the hour is over, add the halved tomatoes.

Condiments: Clean and chop Chinese celery into 1-inch pieces. Slice or crush hot Thai chili peppers, one per person. Slice lime into wedges. Have fried shallots ready.

Pour the soup in individual bowls. Sprinkle fried shallots and Chinese celery. Add sliced hot chili pepper to taste. Start with one chili. If that is not hot enough, add another… Add a slice of lime. For me, I like about ¾ of lime and one sliced chili pepper. It’s spicy, hot and sour!

A bowl of oxtail soup and steamy hot rice and I’m in heaven.