Incredibly Rich, Sour & Spicy Oxtail Soup
The words “Oxtail Soup” bring to mind, an incredibly rich, heavy and gamey comfort food that warms you up in the colder months of the year, with luscious, thick gravy that’s perfect for dipping bread in.
However, this Sour & Spicy Oxtail Soup recipe is the opposite, though no less delicious: a light broth that features herbal aromatics and a tangy, spiciness that cuts through the fattiness and gaminess of oxtail. The meat itself is tender and melt-in-the-mouth, blending well with an umami, salty taste from Thai fish sauce. The gravy is clear and oily, yet it whets the appetite – coating each grain of rice with a complex herbal fragrance.
Although it does take considerable effort to cut, slice and peel the herbs and vegetables – most of the cooking is done by the pressure cooker. This eliminates the need to watch and stir the oxtail soup every so often. It does take roughly 1 hour and 20 minutes, but most of the prep and cooking effort is done in 30 minutes only.
Serves 6 – 8 adults.
What is Thai-style Oxtail Soup?
Thai Oxtail Soup, or known as “Tom Som Hang Wua”, is a Thai dish that resembles its more famous cousin, Tom Som Khai. It comes from the words “Tom” (to boil everything together), “Som” (sour), and “Hang Wua” (buffalo’s tail).
As the oxtail is super greasy from oil, the Thais use a lot of fragrant herbs to mask the smell of the meat and add sourness and spiciness to counter the richness. Both lime juice and chilli added to the dish cut through the overwhelming fattiness and richness. This transforms the oxtail soup from a heavy dish to a light yet appetising meal that can be enjoyed with rice at any time of the year (not just during the cold months).
To reduce effort and cooking time, I’ve used a pressure cooker that tenderizes the meat while it cooks. It can be cooked with a wok and a lid – however, this usually results in a longer cooking time that can span beyond 3 hours to soften the oxtail.
Ingredients
- Lemongrass
- Mixed red and green bird’s eye chilli
- Cilantro (and their roots)
- Dried chilli
- Kaffir lime leaves
- Spring onions/ Scallions (separated into leaves and stems)
- Rose shallots
- Garlic
- Young Galangal
- Tomato
- Parsley
- Cooking oil, unscented
Utensils
Tips
- While rinsing the oxtail with salt, wear food-grade gloves. The smell of oxtail is quite powerful and the oiliness can stick to the skin, making it difficult to wash off.
- Blanching the oxtail helps release most of the scum, which gives us a clear soup later. If making a stew with a thick gravy, this step can be skipped.
- Be careful when frying dried chillies as they can release fumes that irritate the nose and throat.
- The tomatoes and other seasonings can be added to the pressure cooker immediately after the oxtail has cooked, but it is better to cook them together to make the dish last longer.
- The green vegetables (parsley, spring onions, and cilantro) will cook via residual heat from the oxtail soup.
- Make sure to switch off the heat before adding the lime juice, otherwise, it can make the soup bitter.
- Nutritional information does not include rice.
- Ensure to watch the video to see exactly how I made it!
Storage Instructions
Unlike other sour, spicy Thai soup recipes, this Oxtail Soup matures in taste overnight in the fridge. As pressure cooking tends to cook and tenderize meats rapidly, the meat and flavours tend to be less impactful immediately after cooking.
However, once both the meats and gravy have time to rest, all those flavours have the chance to mix and blend into each other – resulting in a rich, and delicious meal the next day.
It can be kept for up to 2-3 days in the fridge, in an air-tight container. Be sure to reheat until boiling before serving. This dish can also be kept frozen for about 1 month or so as none of the ice crystals would affect the texture.
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Thai Oxtail Soup
Equipment
- Sharp Kitchen Knife
- Chopping Board
- Wok
- Strainer
- Pressure Cooker
- Pestle and Mortar
Ingredients
Washing Oxtail
- 1 kg oxtail
- handful salt, handful, for rinsing
Blanching
- 4 kaffir lime leaves
- 20 g ginger, sliced
- 1 L water
Herbs
- 2 lemongrass, smashed lightly with a pestle and mortar
- 5 kaffir lime leaves, stem removed, cut into quarters
- 30 g birds eye chilli, sliced half
- 50 g garlic, peeled
- 80 g shallot, peeled
- 4 cilantro root
- 50 g young galangal, or 30g old galangal, sliced thinly
- 20 g spring onion, stem
Seasonings in Pressure Cooker
- 1/2 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1.3 L water
Seasonings in Wok
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1/2 tbsp salt
- 1.5 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp fish sauce, optional, to taste
- 1 tsp salt, optional, to taste
Crispy Chilli
- 15 ml cooking oil, unscented
- 10 g dried chilli
Vegetables
- 150 g tomato, cut to wedges
- 20 g spring onions, leaves, chopped
- 20 g parsley, chopped
- 12 g cilantro, leaves, chopped
- 3 limes, or 5 tbsp lime juice
Garnishing
- spring onion
- parsley
- lime juice
Instructions
- Prepare the ingredients.
- Rinse the oxtail with handfuls of salt, rubbing them to remove some of the oiliness and blood to reduce the gamey smell. Rinse thrice under running water until the water is clear. Drain the water.
- Add the washed oxtail to a pan over medium heat. Add all the ingredients for blanching – kaffir lime leaves, ginger and water until the oxtails are fully submerged. Let it blanch for about 10 minutes. Then, switch off the heat and remove the oxtail from the water.
- Transfer the oxtail into a pressure cooker, levelling them evenly. Add the lemongrass, half of the kaffir lime leaves, all the cilantro roots, half of the galangal slices, all the spring onion stems, half of the garlic, half of the shallots, half of the chillies, 1/2 tbsp of salt, 1 tbsp of fish sauce, and 1.3L of water. Stir and close the lid of the pressure cooker. Seal it and select the "Tendon" or "Stew" function, or let it cook for 35 minutes.
- Heat cooking oil in a saucepan for about 30 seconds over medium heat, or until hot. Add dried chillies and cook until puffed up and lightly browned. Switch off the heat and strain the chillies. Set it aside.
- When the pressure cooker is done, carefully release the pressure according to the manufacturer's instructions. Switch off the heat. Open the lid and stir the gravy.
- Poke the oxtail with a fork to test for tenderness. The oxtail should be thoroughly cooked by now. If you prefer it to be softer, close the lid and set the pressure cooker to cook for another 15 minutes (or select the "Chicken" function). Once done, release the pressure and check for tenderness again.
- Carefully transfer the oxtail, herbs and gravy into another wok over medium heat. Add the rest of the garlic, shallots, birds eye chillies, and galangal. Add 1/4 of kaffir lime leaves, all the tomatoes, 1 tbsp of fish sauce, 1/2 salt, 1.5 tbsp of sugar, and the crispy fried dried chillies. Stir all the herbs until combined. Cover and let it come to a rolling boil, about 8 minutes.
- After 8 minutes, taste the gravy and adjust. I added 1 tbsp of fish sauce and 1 tsp of salt, which is optional. Switch off the heat.
- Immediately add spring onion leaves, parsley, cilantro leaves and the rest of the kaffir lime leaves. Squeeze 3 limes (or add about 5 tbsp of lime juice), and stir until combined. Taste and adjust as preferred.
- Serve with some white rice. Optionally, garnish with some spring onions, parsley and lime juice.
Video
Notes
- While rinsing the oxtail with salt, wear food-grade gloves. The smell of oxtail is quite powerful and the oiliness can stick to the skin, making it difficult to wash off.
- Blanching the oxtail helps release most of the scum, which gives us a clear soup later. If making a stew with a thick gravy, this step can be skipped.
- Be careful when frying dried chillies as they can release fumes that irritate the nose and throat.
- The tomatoes and other seasonings can be added to the pressure cooker immediately after the oxtail has cooked, but it is better to cook them together to make the dish last longer.
- The green vegetables (parsley, spring onions, and cilantro) will cook via residual heat from the oxtail soup.
- Make sure to switch off the heat before adding the lime juice, otherwise, it can make the soup bitter.
- Nutritional information does not include rice.
- Ensure to watch the video to see exactly how I made it!