Oxtail Soup (Sop Buntut)

I was told by my father that oxtail has a lot of gelatin which is good for bone growth. growing up the only exposure i had to oxtail was a simple oxtail soup that we had once in awhile, later i found out that this soup was indonesian. as i have never cooked oxtail before or never made this soup, i went online to find a recipe i could follow.

Sop Buntut - Oxtail Soup

Recipe adapted from Daily Cooking Quest

http://dailycookingquest.com/by-cuisine/indonesian/sop-buntut-oxtail-soup

Prep time: 30 mins

Cook time: 3 hours 30 mins

Total time: 4 hours

Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:

500 grams oxtail
1-1.5 liters water
1 tablespoon oil
1/2 cinnamon stick
2-3 cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch rounds
150 gram potato, peeled and cut into wedges or medium diced
1 celery stalk, cut into slices
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper

Grind the following into spice paste:

5 shallots
2-3 cloves garlic
1/2 inch ginger
1/2 onion

Garnish and accompaniments:

2 tomatoes, cut into small slices
1 scallion, thinly sliced or a few pieces of coriander
1 lime, cut into wedges
deep fried shallot flakes
Kecap manis (indonesian sweet soy sauce) and chilli sauce

Method:

Boil oxtails and water in a pot. Reduce heat and simmer for 2-3 hours or until oxtails are cooked and tender.
Remove oxtails from the stock and set aside. Strain the stock to get a clear broth. Return the broth and oxtails back to the pot.
In a frying pan, heat oil and sauté spice paste, cinnamon stick, cloves, and nutmeg until fragrant. About 5 minutes. Add this to the pot with broth and oxtails.
Bring the oxtail and broth back to a boil. Add carrot and potato and season with salt, sugar, and ground white pepper. Reduce heat and cook until carrot and potato are cooked and tender, but still quite firm. About 20 minutes. Adjust salt and sugar as needed.
Turn off heat, serve the soup with slices of tomato and scallion. Sprinkle the soup with some deep fried shallot flakes. The soup is best eaten when still piping hot with a bowl of steamed white rice accompanied with the chili sauce, a few drops of kecap manis, and a squeeze of lime juice.

The soup was very close to how i REMEMBERED it. the oxtail was soft and tender, fell right off the bone. the soup was tasty and with the addition of the tomatoes and CORIANDER it added a freshness to the soup. also the addition of a little lime juice, a sprinkle of fried shallots, and a dash of kecap manis, it just made the soup have more depth of flavor. i would definitely make this again and i will probably need to make it several more times in the next few months to help someone grow their bones and make them stronger. a simple but hearty soup.

Sop Buntut - Oxtail Soup

Recipe adapted from Daily Cooking Quest

http://dailycookingquest.com/by-cuisine/indonesian/sop-buntut-oxtail-soup

Prep time: 30 mins

Cook time: 3 hours 30 mins

Total time: 4 hours

Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:

500 grams oxtail

1-1.5 liters water

1 tablespoon oil

1/2 cinnamon stick

2-3 cloves

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch rounds

150 gram potato, peeled and cut into wedges or medium diced

1 celery stalk, cut into slices

1/2 tablespoon salt

1/2 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper

Grind the following into spice paste:

5 shallots

2-3 cloves garlic

1/2 inch ginger

1/2 onion

Garnish and accompaniments:

2 tomatoes, cut into small slices

1 scallion, thinly sliced or a few pieces of coriander

1 lime, cut into wedges

deep fried shallot flakes

Kecap manis (indonesian sweet soy sauce) and chilli sauce

Method:

Boil oxtails and water in a pot. Reduce heat and simmer for 2-3 hours or until oxtails are cooked and tender.

Remove oxtails from the stock and set aside. Strain the stock to get a clear broth. Return the broth and oxtails back to the pot.

In a frying pan, heat oil and sauté spice paste, cinnamon stick, cloves, and nutmeg until fragrant. About 5 minutes. Add this to the pot with broth and oxtails.

Bring the oxtail and broth back to a boil. Add carrot and potato and season with salt, sugar, and ground white pepper. Reduce heat and cook until carrot and potato are cooked and tender, but still quite firm. About 20 minutes. Adjust salt and sugar as needed.

Turn off heat, serve the soup with slices of tomato and scallion. Sprinkle the soup with some deep fried shallot flakes. The soup is best eaten when still piping hot with a bowl of steamed white rice accompanied with the chili sauce, a few drops of kecap manis, and a squeeze of lime juice.