Oxtail Soup

I know...it really is too hot right now to think about any type of soup.  We're sweating like pigs during the day, who wants to sweat more in the evening when it's finally cool?  But this soup is like a meal in itself.  It's so easy to make, everything is in one pot, so there isn't even that many dishes to wash after the meal.  What my mom used to do was pour these over rice, but I chose to pour them over noodles for my kids.  Of course, if you're watching your carbs, you can eat this by itself and still feel very satisfied.  You got your protein and your veggies, it's a healthy, easy, and hearty meal.

I got my oxtail from a local Chinese market.  I was craving this soup after visiting a family member and her MIL made some for them.  It's been years since I've had my own mother's oxtail soup.  So I just decided to make my own.  Here's the recipe!

Ingredients:
1 oxtail, cut into 1 in pieces (the butcher will do this)
5 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 in pieces
1/2 of a large cabbage or 1 small cabbage, chopped
3 large tomatoes, cut into 1 in pieces (I use beefsteak tomatoes, and I usually use more because I love them, but it's up to you)
1 onion
chicken stock (not broth - stock is more flavorful since it's made of chicken bones)
ginger (this is important - you need it to slightly mask the meaty scent of the oxtail so it doesn't over power the entire soup)
salt

Directions:
1) Boil oxtail in regular water in large pot to clean the oxtail.  You'll see all the impurities rise to the top.  Pour water out, repeat one more time.

2) Once the oxtail is clean, you can fill the pot with all the ingredients above except for the cabbage.  If you want a more flavorful soup, you can use only chicken stock for the broth.  I find that with the oxtail and the vegetables, the broth will be flavored as is, so I chose to use regular water.  It's really personal preference.

3) Flavor with salt.

4) Boil for at least 2 hours in medium heat.  You want the water to be bubbly lightly the whole time.  That's when you know everything is simmering and your broth is being flavored.  In the last 30 minutes, add all the cabbage.  If you want an even more hearty soup, you can add some potatoes as well.

Voila!  This lasts in my family for about 2 days.  I'll use it as a main meal the first day, then the second day just as a soup additional to the mail meal.  I hope you enjoy it as much as my family did!  Next week I'll post the recipe for my San Bei Ji (Three Cups Chicken)!

xoxo,
Lin