A simple Oxtail Asam Pedas that's sure to knock you socks off

Oxtail Asam Pedas

Well i first learnt a recipe for oxtail asam pedas or hot and should oxtail when i got a job in a hotel in the city of Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. Of course i made some adjustment to it and some snips here and there to make it easier and of course tastier. well i try.

Ingredients:

Galangal (Lengkuas)  4 Thumbs

Lemongrass (Serai) 5 stalks (beat)

Onions, Shallots,Garlic,Ginger(for mirepoix or bumbu) about 400 ml after blended

Blended Chilli or Cili Boh same amount as the bumbu

Kaffir Lime Leaf or Daun Limau Purut about 10 pieces or more if the leaves are big. LOL

Oxtail 1kg

Cooking Oil

Water

Candlenut half cup

Tamarind Paste half cup

Simple enough, not as much ingredient as your usual asam pedas I bet but since the oxtail packs a bountiful of flavor in the first place, you don't wanna overpower it.

Method :

well the method's relatively easy however oxtail takes a bit of time to cook as you probably know.

First, we blend the onions,shallots, garlic and ginger, the usual way. Then we bruise the galangal and lemongrass and also tear the lime leaves abit to release fragrance.
Then, we heat up about half a cup of cooking oil in a large pot. Put the bumbu/mirepoix and the galangal,lemongrass and lime leaves in, when it started to fragrant, pour in the Cili Boh. Add a little bit of water and the tamarind paste and stir lightly. Simmer with medium heat.

Afterwards add the oxtail and more water until the oxtail is covered. you might be thinking, that's a lot of water, well it's gonna simmer for a WHILE, so the water will evaporate. Simmer the oxtail until almost tender, then add the candlenut (ground with some water until paste-like consistency)

Finally, add seasoning (salt,pepper and most people will use msg but that's totally up to you) to taste and simmer until the oxtails are tender and the gravy thicken a bit. You might wanna discard the extra oil that surfaces after cooking.

Best served warm.

Side note : There are people that will boil the oxtails first then recook with the gravy. I prefer to do it my way as the flavor will go in the meat and the gravy taste better. also i can control the tenderness of the meat easier.

That's it for today and happy cooking. :)