You Know the Veggie in the Easy Oxtail Soup?
I have found a recipe for oxtail soup that’s simple to make. Not only would it be nutritious, it would provide a light and tasty beverage with many oxtail and vegetable pieces to snack on or eat as part of a meal.
Below are some links to more details, including photos:
My Story
Since I was looking for a new recipe to cook oxtail, I came across one perfect for colder weather. I might have skipped this one in my previous searches because it included a vegetable that I’ve never cooked with, but this time, I decided to be a little more adventurous.
Inspiring Recipe
The recipe that I decided to try was Chinese oxtail soup from the blog, The Woks of Life, which I’ve referenced before for oxtail.
First Try
With half of the ingredients already at home, I only needed to visit the produce section for the other half and was ready to make this dish.
Ingredients to Use
I had 4 1/2 pounds of oxtail, so I made some adjustments to the recipe and used the following for the remaining ingredients:
- 18 cups of water
- 3 medium onions (2.10 pounds)
- 2 medium daikon radishes (2.08 pounds)
- 2 teaspoons of salt
- A sprinkling of parsley
For the water, I used a smaller ratio as compared to the oxtail in the original recipe because my family and I usually finish more of what’s in a soup than the soup itself.
When it came to the onions, I estimated what I needed based on a chart in the article, What Size are Small, Medium and Large Onions and How Much Does Each Yield Chopped?, from CulinaryLore’s website, and bought something close to it according to the supermarket’s availability.
As for the daikon radishes, I chose them over Chinese turnips because the supermarket that I normally shop at usually has a larger inventory of them. Though I couldn’t find a good reference for how much a medium one would weigh, I found one at the store that was in between the smaller and larger sizes, weighed it, and got almost double the amount.
For the salt, when a recipe doesn’t specify an amount for a pot of stew or soup, I start with a default amount of 2 teaspoons, taste the dish, and increase it, if needed. I saw a note about this in the recipe, How To Make Japanese Curry Roux, when I was making chicken curry and have applied this minimum amount ever since to other similar recipes.
Lastly, in regards to the cilantro, I wasn’t planning on buying it since I didn’t think I would have a use for the leftovers. However, at the last minute at the supermarket, I changed my mind. With the unplanned purchase, I got parsley instead because I forgot that the recipe listed cilantro for the garnish.
Steps to Prepare
The instructions were straight-forward, but had enough flexibility that I didn’t make any changes until the very last step.
To maximize the browning, I roasted the oxtail for 40 minutes. Once the timer was set for simmering the water, onions, and roasted oxtail for 6 hours, I skimmed off the fat after 2 hours, 4 hours, and 5 1/2 hours.
When it came time to taste the soup after I added the default amount of salt, it was fine just the way it was.
Lastly, instead of garnishing the serving bowls with the parsley, I just added some directly into the pot when the daikon radishes were tender, so that the process would be even simpler.
Time to Eat
After scooping a little of each ingredient into a bowl, I was ready to dig in.
Recipe Rating
Below were the results of the recipe after the first try:
| Number of Ingredients | Effort (Low🤏, Medium🤏🤏, High🤏🤏🤏) | Cost per Serving (<$2💰, $2-5💰💰, >$5💰💰💰) | Taste (Not for me🤔, Trying Again🙂, Eating Regularly😋) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6️⃣* | 🤏 | 💰💰 | 🙂 |
The soup had a light sweetness from the soft daikon radish and oxtail. Also, depending on whether I was chewing on the meat, cartilage, or fat of the oxtail, it was either dry, smooth, or chewy.
Second Try
Going into the second round, I didn’t have any changes in mind, so I tried to repeat what I did from the first try.
Ingredients to Use
With 4.58 pounds of oxtail, I aimed for similar measurements that I used during the first time for the remaining ingredients. The amounts were as follows:
- 18 cups of water
- 2 medium onions (1.75 pounds)
- 2 medium daikon radishes (2 pounds)
- 2 teaspoons of salt
- A sprinkling of parsley
Steps to Prepare
As compared with the first try, the steps I took this time were similar, with a few minor deviations.
For roasting oxtail, I reached for the baking pan instead of the baking sheet out of habit.
When it came to skimming the fat from the pot, I did it at 2 1/4 hours, about 4 hours, and 5 1/2 hours after I started simmering the contents.
Lastly, the largest adjustment that I made was adding an extra 15 minutes to the timer after checking the daikon radishes for tenderness, which increased the total simmering time to 6 1/4 hours.
Time to Eat
With the second batch completed and in a serving bowl, I was ready to give it another taste.
Recipe Rating
Below are the results of the recipe from the second attempt:
| Number of Ingredients | Effort (Low🤏, Medium🤏🤏, High🤏🤏🤏) | Cost per Serving (<$2💰, $2-5💰💰, >$5💰💰💰) | Taste (Not for me🤔, Trying Again🙂, Eating Regularly😋) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6️⃣* | 🤏 | 💰💰 | 🙂 |
As noted in the above chart, there were no changes to the ratings. The flavor of the soup and texture of the daikon radishes and oxtail were the same.
Although I did enjoy the soup, I would like the oxtail to be tender throughout. To do that, I will try the following next time:
Continuous Improvement
- Get a fattier cut of oxtail.
- Simmer the soup for 7 hours.
I’ve eaten daikon radishes before, e.g., in soups, stews, and salads, but never heard any selling points for them. However, by reading some information about this vegetable, I realized the following:
Lesson for Dumber Self
- Something underrated can surprisingly come with many unexpected health benefits. (One source on this is a WebMD website’s article, What Are the Health Benefits of Daikon Radishes?)
What will you do now?
Next Step for You
- Try the Chinese oxtail soup recipe from the blog, The Woks of Life?
- Learn more about the daikon radish from WebMD website’s article, What Are the Health Benefits of Daikon Radishes?
- Read another post on this site? (Go to the menu at the top of the page.)