Soy Braised Oxtails
Oxtails braised in soy sauce always reminds me of home. It’s one of my favorite childhood dishes that my dad taught me how to make.
Oxtails are slow cooked on a small fire, in a simple sauce of soy sauce and Chinese spices. This dish is the perfect thing to make on cold winter nights because it needs just a couple basic pantry ingredients and practically cooks itself.
The hardest part is waiting patiently while the intoxicating scent drifts through the house..
Classic Chinese Oxtails in Soy Sauce
What You’ll Need
Garlic
Onion
Tomato
Ginger
This recipe creates incredibly tender, fall-off-the-bone oxtails infused with classic Chinese flavors.
The best part is the sauce at the end. It’s rich and decadent – perfect for serving over rice or noodles to soak up the sauce.
This is my ‘easy’ oxtail recipe, that comes together with a few simple ingredients you likely already have on hand.
If you love oxtail, make sure to also check out my Chinese tomato oxtail stew recipe! That one is more tomato-y and stew-y, whereas this one is richer with a sticky-sweet sauce.
How to Make Classic Chinese-Style Oxtails
First Blanche or Parboil the Oxtails
Asian recipes typically call for blanching the meat.
First, soak the oxtails in a bowl of cold water for 30 minutes to an hour. You’ll notice the meat will release lots of blood and dirt.
Drain the oxtails, then bring a pot of water to a boil on the stove.
Once boiling, turn the heat off and blanche the oxtails for 15-20 minutes, or until you’ve noticed the oxtails have released all their scum and impurities.
Drain the water, pat the oxtails dry and set aside.
cold soak then parboil the oxtails to remove any impurities
Roughly Chop Your Aromatics
The best part of this recipe is how easy it is.
No need for fancy knife skills – just roughly quarter an onion and lightly smash a couple garlic cloves.
I like to add one large tomato as well.
I only had cherry tomatoes on hand today, so I halved a bunch and used those instead.
I like to use a low braiser for this recipe, and cover the oxtails with just enough water that they simmer in the soy braising liquid
Slow Cook the Oxtails
Add your oxtails to the pot and pour in your sauces.
Light soy sauce will braise the oxtails while dark soy sauce adds color. Honey adds some sweetness.
I’ve been using this fancy orange blossom raw honey recently that I got as a gift. It’s delicious and has a slight citrus note.
I used 3 cups of water, but feel free to adjust. You want the oxtails to be just submerged in the liquid.
Bring the liquids to a boil, then turn the heat down to a very low fire.
Let the oxtails simmer in the soy sauce braising liquid for several hours.
so tender, they shred easily with just a fork and spoon
Leave the oxtails to gently simmer on the stove.
Check on them periodically (every hour or so), adding more water if necessary.
I like my oxtails to be extra tender so that they fall off the bone with just a fork and spoon.
This typically takes around 3 – 3.5 hours.
topping off the finished oxtails with chives from my indoor garden
Garnish with chives and serve over rice.
I added a couple more cherry tomatoes for crunch, since the tomatoes at the start had cooked down.
And that’s it! Very easy.
Note: With 3 cups of water, the sauce was significantly reduced after 3.5 hours and becomes more like a rich, thick glaze.
If you prefer more of a ‘sauce’ consistency, you use an extra half cup of water or remove the oxtails at the 3 hour mark.
Chinese Soy Braised Oxtails
These Chinese braised oxtails are rich, hearty and comforting, like a Chinese take on short ribs. They come together in a leisurely braise on the stove, simmering in soy sauce and aromatics. After a couple hours, you get fall-off-the-bone tender oxtails and a rich, indulgent sauce.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs oxtails
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 3 tsp honey
- 1 tsp rice vinegar
- 3 cups water
- 2 star anise
- 1 medium onion
- 1 large tomato
- 3 cloves of garlic, lightly smashed
- 1/2 knob of ginger, sliced
Instructions
Clean the Oxtails
- In a bowl of cold water, soak the oxtails for 1 hour, to let the meat release any blood and dirt.
- Prepare a pot of boiling water. Once it's come to a rolling boil, turn off the heat and place the rinsed oxtails. Let them simmer for 15-30 minutes, or until all the impurities have come to the surface. Drain, pat oxtails dry and set aside.
Make the Braise
- Roughly quarter the onion and tomato. Roughly chop the ginger and lightly smash the garlic cloves.
- To the empty pot, add oil and lightly sauté the onion, tomato, garlic, ginger and star anise for 1-2 minutes. Then add the oxtails to the pot.
- Add in both soy sauces, honey, rice vinegar and water. Bring the liquid to a boil. Once boiling, turn the flame down to a low simmer. Cover and slow cook for 3 hours, checking half way through and adding more water if necessary.
- Uncover, garnish with chives and serve over rice.
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