With the frigid temperatures we’ve had all winter, I was craving something warm and hearty. Then my husband said, why not make some oxtail soup! Soup is generally pretty easy to make, and besides the time it takes to cook the oxtail, this one is no exception. Put everything in a pot and let it boil. Right?! Pretty simple. And that’s just what I did to create this flavorful winter cure.
For this soup you will need about 2 lbs of Oxtail. Cut as much fat from the oxtail as you can. Wash oxtail. Add to a pressure cooker with about 4 to 5 cups of water and 1 tsp salt. Pressure cook until tender (about 30 minutes).Peel and chop your root vegetables…
Here’s a quick and easy way to peel yuca (cassava). 1. First cut the root into manageable pieces. 2. Make a lengthwise slit along the yuca. 3. Slide your knife under the skin, along the slit and peel until all the skin is removed.
Now for the soup…
In a large stock pot, add the cooked oxtail and stock, 3 corn on the cob (cut into halves), 1 cup of split peas, 2 tbsp salt, 1 tsp dried thyme, 5 cloves of garlic chopped, 1 large onion diced, 2 wiri wiri peppers or 1 scotch bonnet (whole) and about 5 cups of water . Let cook until peas is soft, then, Add yuca (about 1lb diced into 2 inch pieces). Cook for 10 minutes.
Then, add 3 yellow plantain (peeled and cut into 2inch round pieces), 1 large sweet potato (diced into 1 inch pieces) and 1 bunch of fresh spinach. Let simmer until all the root vegetables have cooked.
Serve and enjoy! It’s that simple.
- 2 lbs Oxtail
- 1 cup split peas
- 1 lb yuca/cassava (peeled and diced into 2 inch pieces)
- 3 corn on the cob (cut into halves)
- 1 large sweet potato (peeled and diced into 1 inch pieces)
- 3 yellow (ripe) plantains (cut into 2 inch rounds)
- 1 bunch of fresh spinach
- 1 large onion (diced)
- 5 cloves garlic (chopped)
- 3 tsp salt
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 2 wiri wiri peppers (1 scotch bonnet or cherry pepper)
- about 10 cups of water (total)
- Trim as much fat from the oxtail as possible. Add oxtail and 1 tsp salt to a pressure cooker with 4 to 5 cups of water and cook for about 30 minutes or until oxtail is tender and falls off the bone. Add cooked oxtail, stock and about 4 cups of water to a large stock pot on medium heat. Add corn, split peas, onion, garlic, thyme, peppers and salt and cook until split peas is soft. Add yuca/cassava and cook for 10 minutes or until yuca/cassava is semi soft. Add remaining vegetables and simmer until all the vegetables have cooked and are tender.
2. This soup is not "healthy." Oxtail is very fatty. But it is hearty. Go for a run, then enjoy a bowl.
3. If you are fortunate to live in a place where you have a good butcher and can get your oxtail from him/her, you can have him/her cut the oxtail into pieces for you. This makes cooking much easier and faster. My oxtail comes prepackaged in large chunks.
4. If you don't have a pressure cooker, you can cook the oxtail on medium heat for about 45 minutes to 1 hour and it should be just as tender.
5. Adding the peppers whole will give flavor without the heat. I usual cut open one of the pepper at the end for a little bit of heat.
6. If you have a different recipe for oxtail soup, don't hesitate to share.
I have tried some of your recipes and it’s amazing!! But however I have a question where do you get your hot peppers to cook from? I’m living in the USA!!!
I actually brought peppers with me last time I went to Guyana and put them in the freezer. However, you can buy scotch bonnet or chilli peppers from your supermarket or if you have an Asian or West Indian supermarket you’ll find them there. I live in Denver and our one and only Jamaican/African market as well as HMart carries scotch bonnets.
Oh thank you soooo much!!!!!
I love soup! I could literally eat it everyday. Hubby is a trini, so of course he has taught me to make mean pot of soup. I want to give this a try….w/o the oxtails since I’m veggie. Or maybe make a separate pot for him…if I’m feeling nice. LOL
You could try this soup without the oxtail too. Use vegetable stock as the base. Do you eat fish? You could add steamed fish for the protein.
nice soup btw, appreciate the article