Tastiest oxtail stew recipe in South Africa ever: easy guide with pictures
- Oxtail cut stew is a hearty meal for meat lovers. You can have it as an appetizer or add it to the main meal for lunch or dinner.
- The stew has a vibrant flavour and allows you to experiment with different spices.
- Award-winning cookbook author Neo Nontso suggested side dishes to accompany oxtail stew.
Source: UGC
The aroma of the African oxtail stew fills the house as it cooks. Moreover, the moisture from the boiling meat and bones can warm up the room. You can serve your oxtail curry with Irish potatoes, pasta, rice, yams, bread, etc. The recipe below explains how to make oxtail stew with potatoes.
Easy oxtail stew recipe in South Africa
The best oxtail recipe has locally available ingredients that cannot strain your home financially. You can adjust recipes by removing some spices, but do not touch the main ingredients. You can set a time on your watch and do other things while the oxtail stew boils over medium heat. The bones and meat take around two hours to tenderize. Check out this oxtail recipe without wine:
- Preparation time: 10 minutes
- Cooking time: 2 hours
- Total time: 2 hours 10 minutes
- To serve: 4 to 5 people
Oxtail stew ingredients
- 4 pounds (1.8kg) of fresh oxtail
- ¼ cup cooking oil (flavourless vegetable cooking oil)
- 1 large red onion
- 4 cloves of finely chopped garlic
- 2 teaspoons freshly crushed ginger
- 100g (3.5 oz) canned crushed tomatoes/ 3 large ripe tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 10 large Irish potatoes, peeled, washed, and cut into slices
- 1 sprig thyme/ 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 green capsicum, julienned
- 2 scallions (green onions)
- 1 Maggi cube/ 1 beef cube
- 1 teaspoon ground Spanish paprika
- 1 Habanero pepper (optional)
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper (optional)
- 1 bunch of fresh parsley/ coriander to garnish
- Salt (to taste)
Source: UGC
Oxtail stew cooking guide
- Clean the oxtail under running water and cut it into pieces.
- Place the oxtail pieces in a medium pot and add water until it covers them.
- Add minced garlic cloves, chopped scallion, salt, and ginger. The ginger and garlic soften and add flavour.
- Bring to boil, then simmer under medium/low heat for 1 hour and 30 minutes (minimum). Alternatively, cook the oxtails in a pressure cooker for 40 minutes to save energy and time.
- Strain the stock from the meat and reserve it for later use. If you want, skim off the fatty layer on the stew.
- Heat cooking oil in another pot under medium-high heat. Once hot, fry the pre-boiled oxtail pieces in batches to avoid crowding the pot.
- Allow them to turn brown on each side for about 5 minutes, and set them aside in a bowl.
- Add chopped red onions to the used cooking oil and fry till golden brown.
- Add crushed garlic and ginger, then fry for about 2 minutes with constant stirring to avoid burning the garlic.
- Add in the browned oxtail pieces, canned or fresh tomatoes, tomato paste, and other spices (fresh/dried thyme, black pepper, paprika, curry powder, Habanero pepper, and Maggi cube).
- Stir well to prevent them from sticking to the pan. After that, cover for about 5 minutes to let the spices release flavours and aroma.
- Add a few more minutes if the tomatoes are not tender.
Source: UGC
- Once the sauce is well cooked, add the stock and boil over high heat.
- Reduce the heat, add your sliced potatoes, and let the oxtail stew.
- Simmer for 30 to 40 minutes for the flavours to blend, and add water if the potatoes need more to cook.
- Add in chopped scallions and green capsicum, taste, and adjust the seasoning accordingly.
- Turn off the heat when the soup is thick and saucy.
- Sprinkle fresh coriander or parsley on top and serve.
- Enjoy the rich blend of flavours in the oxtail stew.
What to serve with oxtail stew
Most oxtail curry recipes allow you to serve the stew with baked potatoes, garlic rolls, noodles or pasta, plantain/mashed bananas, baked beans, yams, plain boiled white rice or spiced rice dishes, etc.
Award-winning cookbook author Neo Nontso shared suggestions for side dishes to accompany oxtail stew. Her oxtail recipe is the first recipe in her cookbook Dine With Neo.
My favourite sides for oxtails are: Spinach, butternut, creamy risotto, samp and beans, mashed potato, gnocchi (cooked with the oxtail).
Quick tip from Neo: Should your gnocchi remain undercooked post-frying, immerse them in boiling water for approximately 3 minutes! If your sauce lacks thickness, mix a teaspoon of flour in around 1/4 cup of water and slowly incorporate it into the sauce until achieving the desired thickness.
After that, you can treat yourself to delicious South African desserts like the koeksisters.
Are Oxtails good for you?
Oxtail stew is excellent for human health. The meat stew has proteins, and the bone marrow contains calcium and iron. The gelatin in the oxtail meat combats muscle inflammation and adds good bacteria to your gastrointestinal tract.
Why are oxtails so expensive?
Oxtails are pretty pricey because of increased demand. Nevertheless, the cost should encourage you to prepare it. You can cut off some spices from your stewed oxtail recipe from South Africa. This way, you can save money for more oxtails.
Where does oxtail meat come from?
Oxtail meat comes from a cow’s tail weighing 7 and 8 pounds (3.18-3.6kgs). You remove the skin and cut it into pieces. Each piece contains bone marrow. You can stew, braise, or boil them to make soup. A relatively long time is required to cook them.
What does oxtail taste like?
Oxtail taste like any other spiced African beef stew. The connective tissues in the meat give a pleasant mouthfeel. Oxtail cuts require two or more simmering hours to attain the best tenderness and flavour. Add spices and herbs (fresh or dried) to enrich the taste.
Who eats oxtail?
Everyone can eat Oxtail curry regardless of age, gender, or race. The stew features in traditional and modern hotels globally.
This oxtail stew recipe in South Africa is the easiest way to prepare this meal. The aroma can convince any guest hurrying to leave to stay a little longer and join you for dinner or lunch.
READ ALSO: Easy Potjiekos recipes beef
Briefly.co.za also shared easy Potjiekos beef recipes. Cooking Potjiekos is almost similar to preparing oxtails. For instance, both recipes require a prolonged boiling time.
You can prepare Potjiekos with lamb, pork, or poultry meat. Learning how to make it with beef will give you an easy time when using other meat types.
Source: Briefly News
Peris Walubengo (Lifestyle writer) Peris Walubengo is a content creator with 5 years of experience writing articles, researching, editing, and proofreading. She has a Bachelor of Commerce & IT from the University of Nairobi and joined Briefly.co.za in November 2019. The writer completed a Google News Initiate Course. She covers bios, marketing & finance, tech, fashion & beauty, recipes, movies & gaming reviews, culture & travel. You can email her at perisrodah254@gmail.com.
Neo Nontso (Chef and author of Dinewithneo Cookbook) Neo Nontso, popularly known as Dine With Neo, is a self-taught cook, food writer, entrepreneur and two-time international award winning cookbook author with over 570K followers across social media platforms. The former celebrity make-up artist made her way into the food industry in 2017 through her Instagram blog. She has worked with reputable brands across the globe through campaigns, partnerships, endorsements and collaborations.
