Meat Recipes - Oxtail in Hot Tangy Sauce Recipe

Ingredients

• 8 shallots, chopped

• 8 garlic cloves, chopped

• 4-6 fresh red chills, seeded and chopped

• 25g/1 oz fresh galangal, chopped

• 30ml/2 tbsp rice flour or plain (all purpose) flour

• 15ml/1 tbsp ground turmeric

• 8-12 oxtail joints, cut roughly the same size and trimmed of fat

• 45ml/3 tbsp vegetable oil

• 400g/14oz can plum tomatoes, drained

• 2 lemon grass stalks, halved and bruised

• a handful of fresh kaffir lime leaves

• 225g/8oz tamarind pulp, soaked in 600ml/1 pint/2 1/2 cups water, squeezed and strained

• 30-45ml/2-3 tbsp sugar

• salt and ground black pepper

• fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves, roughly chopped

Serves 4-6

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Method:

1. Using a mortar and pestle or food processor, grind the shallots, garlic, chilies and galangal to a coarse paste.

2. Mix the flour with the ground turmeric and spread it on a flat surface. Roll the oxtail in the flour and set aside.

3. Heat the oil in a heavy pan or earthenware pot. Stir in the spice paste and cook until fragrant and golden.

4. Add the oxtail joints and brown on all sides. Add the tomatoes, lemon grass stalks, lime leaves and tamarind juice.

5. Add enough water to cover the oxtail. and bring it to the boil. Skim off any fat from the surface. Reduce the heat put the lid on the pan and simmer the oxtail for 2 hours.

6. Stir in the sugar; season and continue to cook, uncovered, for  a further 30-40 minutes, until the meat is very tender.

7. Sprinkle with the coriander and serve straight from the pan.

Note: Considered a delicacy in some parts of South-east Asia, oxtail and the tails of water buffalo are generally cooked for special feasts. In Malaysia and Singapore, oxtail is cooked in European-style stews by the Eurasians and Hainanese but the Malays and Indonesians prefer to cook it slowly in a hot, tangy sauce.