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peanuts and mustard greens in oxtail soup

Oxtail Soup

Oxtails plus Hawaiian seasoning blend and ginger makes for a delicious local favorite.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 15 minutes
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Oxtail Soup
  • 4 pounds oxtail including bones
  • ~6-8 cups water enough to submerge oxtail in the pot. Add more to taste
  • 1 piece ginger about 3 inch piece sliced thinly
  • 4 bunches mustard greens
  • ~12 stalks green onions green parts chopped into 2 inch pieces
  • Hawaiian Salt Seasoning (see notes)
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce optional. to taste
  • cilantro
Optional Peanuts
  • ½ cup peanuts cooked, unshelled, unsalted (see notes)
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 tablespoon salt

Equipment

  • large soup pot with lid such as a 5 liter dutch oven with heavy lid

Method
 

  1. Begin by salting the oxtail with the Hawaiian seasoning. Rub it in well and be careful not to oversalt. I recommend using the same amount you would use to dry rub steaks.
  2. In the large soup or stock pot you've selected, brown all sides of the oxtails. My oxtails were fatty enough where I didn't need additional oil but feel free to use some to brown the meat.
  3. While browning, chop the green parts of green onions into 2 inch pieces and slice your ginger into thin slices.
  4. Add the green onions and ginger to the pot and fill with water so that everything is submerged. Bring this to a boil and then simmer while covered for 2 to 3 hours.
  5. When done simmering, taste the soup and adjust flavors as needed. Here I added 1 tablespoon of fish sauce. You can at this point serve the dish (with garnishes) or put in the fridge and reheat the following day.
Optional Peanut Step
  1. 30 minutes before serving. In a medium pot, bring 4 cups of water to boil. Add in raw, unshelled peanuts and 2 tablespoons of salt. Boil for 30 to 45 minutes until peanuts are not crunch but not mushy.
Immediately Before Serving
  1. Add the boiled peanuts (optional) and mustard greens to the hot soup. Let the greens wilt in the hot soup and then serve!
  2. Serve on it own or with a small serving of rice. Garnish with cilantro and chopped green onions

Notes

I often use Island Seasonings Salt (affiliate) for salting my soups. I recommend it for this recipe. If you don’t have it, just plain kosher salt works and will enhance the flavor of the oxtail.
Optional spices to add to your liking:
  • garlic powder
  • onion powder
  • brown sugar
  • paprika
  • chicken bouillon
 
Peanuts: if you aren’t allergic to peanuts, they’re great to snack on separately inside the soup. I use COOKED peanuts so the boiling time is greatly reduced.