Chinese Oxtail Stew (燜牛尾, Man1 Ngau4 Mei5)

 

This recipe was updated 23 Sep 2014. Some instructions and ingredient quantities were changed, as well as the photograph.

Here’s another recipe for Chinese Oxtail Stew. The difference between this and the Slow Cooker Chinese Oxtail Stew (燜牛尾, Man¹ Ngau⁴ Mei⁵) recipe is that the oxtails are marinated before cooking. Oxtails are usually browned after adding salt and pepper without any marinade. Marinating the oxtails for 48 hours gave the meat and the dish a richer flavor.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

4 lb.	2 kg.	Beef oxtails (牛尾, ngau4 mei5)
½ in.	15 mm.	Knob of ginger (薑, goeng1), crushed in a garlic press
2 cloves	2 cloves	Garlic (蒜, syun3), crushed in a garlic press
1 cup	250 ml.	Soy sauce (豉油, si6 jau4)
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Hoisin sauce (海鮮醬, hoi2 sin1 zoeng3)
1 cup	250 ml.	Shaoxing rice wine (紹興酒, siu6 hing1 zau2) or dry sherry
1 tsp.	5 ml.	Ground white pepper (白胡椒, baak6 wu4 ziu1)
1 tsp.	5 ml.	Sesame oil (麻油, maa4 jau4)
12	12	Dried coin Shiitake mushrooms (金錢菇, gam1 cin4 gu1), rehydrated
1 lb.	500 g.	Carrots (紅蘿蔔, hung4 lo4 baak6), cut on the diagonal to ¾-inch (20 mm.) pieces
1 lb.	500 g.	Daikon (白蘿蔔, baak6 lo4 baak6), cut on the diagonal to ¾-inch (20 mm.) pieces
		Oil for cooking

 

Soak-Out Cooker and Sauce Ingredients

2 cloves	2 cloves	Garlic (蒜, syun3), lightly crushed
2 slices	2 slices	Ginger (薑, goeng1), lightly crushed
1	1	Dried date (蜜棗, mat6 zou2)
1	1	Dried tangerine peel (陳皮, can4 pei4)
2 whole	2 whole	Star anise (八角, baat3 gok3)
1 stick	1 stick	Cassia bark (桂皮, gwai3 pei4) or cinnamon
¾ oz.	20 g.	Rock sugar (冰糖, bing1 tong4) – 1 piece
3 Tbs.	45 ml.	Tapioca starch (木薯澱粉, muk6 syu4 din6 fan2)
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Dark soy sauce (老抽, lou5 cau1)
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Soy sauce (豉油, si6 jau4)
½ cup	125 ml.	Shaoxing rice wine (紹興酒, siu6 hing1 zau2) or dry sherry
		Water, stock, and/or mushroom rehydration liquid to cover the ingredients in the slow cooker

 

Equipment

14 in.	35.5 cm.	Wok or pan
3.5 in.	9 cm.	Soak-out cooker to hold the spices in the slow cooker
6.5 qt.	6 L.	Slow cooker (crock pot) to cook the stew
		Slotted spoon
		Fat separator

 

Preparation Instructions

1. The oxtails need to be marinated from 24-48 hours in the refrigerator in a covered container using the garlic and ginger in a garlic press, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry, ground white pepper, and sesame oil. To evenly marinade the oxtails, mix the oxtails in the container every 24 hours. Take the marinated oxtails out of the refrigerator at least one hour before cooking.
2. Remove the oxtails from the marinade and remove as much liquid from the oxtails as possible with a paper towel. The drier the oxtails are, the easier it will be to brown them in the wok. Reserve the marinade for later use in the cooking process.
3. Pour boiling water over the dried coin Shiitake mushrooms in a heat proof bowl and rehydrate the mushrooms for at least one hour. Remove the coin Shiitake mushrooms from the rehydration liquid and remove the stems. Reserve the rehydration liquid for later use in the cooking process.
4. Wash and cut the daikon and carrots on the diagonal to ¾-inch (20 mm.) pieces.
5. Mix the sauce thoroughly in a small bowl: tapioca starch, dark soy sauce, soy sauce, and Shaoxing wine or dry sherry.
6. Put the lightly crushed garlic cloves and ginger, dried date, dried tangerine peel, star anise, cassia bark or cinnamon sticks, and rock sugar into the soak-out cooker. Close and lock the soak-out cooker, and place it into the slow cooker. If there isn’t sufficient space in the soak-out cooker for all the ingredients, the rock sugar may be put directly into the slow cooker.

Cooking Instructions

1. Heat a wok or pan over high heat and before adding oil. Add the oxtails to the wok in a single layer on the bottom and brown the outside. You may have to cook the oxtail in batches, so be sure to reheat the wok over high heat before adding more oil. Deglaze the wok with Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry, and add the liquid together with the oxtails into the slow cooker. Try to arrange the oxtails in one layer on the bottom of the slow cooker. Browning the oxtails can be done the night before.
2. Add the bowl with the sauce, the oxtail marinade, and enough of the mushroom rehydration liquid to just cover the oxtails into the slow cooker. If more liquid is needed, add water or stock. If possible, try to mix the tapioca mixture evenly with the new liquid in the slow cooker.
3. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the carrots. Stir fry the carrots to brown them before deglazing the wok with Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry. Add the carrots and liquid to the slow cooker.
4. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the daikon. Stir fry the daikon to brown them before deglazing the wok with Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry. Add the daikon and liquid to the slow cooker.
5. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the mushrooms. Stir fry the mushrooms to brown them before deglazing the wok with Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry. Add the mushrooms and liquid to the slow cooker.
6. Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for up to 8 hours. After cooking is complete, the contents of the slow cooker should be transferred to the serving plate using a slotted spoon. If desired, the bones can be removed from the oxtails before serving. Remove the soak out cooker and discard the contents. Use a fat separator to remove any excess fat from the liquid in the slow cooker and pour the sauce over the oxtails in the serving plate. Serve with steamed rice.

Notes

1. Tapioca starch is used to thicken the liquid and holds up well in a slow cooker. I originally got this information from America’s Test Kitchen and they use Minute Tapioca made by Kraft. I’ve used both the Minute Tapioca and plain tapioca starch to thicken liquids in a slow cooker, and both work equally as well. You can find Minute Tapioca in any grocery store and tapioca starch at your local Asian supermarket. The tapioca starch is much more inexpensive than the Minute Tapioca. Corn starch and other thickeners break down and will not thicken during the long cooking times in a slow cooker.