Simple Recipes - Beginner Level : Fried Ox Tail

Yeap.

For you who like to eat Ox Tail !
It can be enjoy by itself, or have the additional clear vegetables soup as company. This is sort of Indonesian way.

Be careful when you fry it, though. High amount of fat contained in its pieces will make a crazy explosive fountain out of hot oil that could damage your face (and reputation).
I am not exaggerating, because I got my nose burned by it.


Fried Ox Tail 

Ingredients :

Ox tail (amount of what you're going to eat)
Some garlic, minced (say, 4 cloves of it)
Water

3 tbs Sweet soy sauce
2 tsp White pepper powder
1 tsp Salt

Oil to fry

Clear vegetables soup

Ingredients:

clear ox tail broth
green onion
carrots / asparagus / potato / tomato / any kind of mushroom, cut to your preferences
1 tsp nutmeg powder (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

How To:

1.  Saute minced garlic, put in a pot with ox tail and water enough to cover all of them.
2. Bring ox tail to boil in low heat, it usually takes about 4 - 6 hours, until it is soft. 
3. While cooking, spoon out the fat bubbles on top of the water, to create a clear broth. 
4. Take out the ox tail, and keep the broth for later use 
5. Mix sweet soy sauce, white pepper and salt, rub in ox tail, let it sit for 20 minutes.
6. Fry with medium amount of oil in low - medium heat , don't deep fry it. 3 minutes each side until both has this blackened crisp texture. 
7. serve

How To make the soup:

1. Add all vegetables and herbs ingredients to the leftover clear ox tail broth, bring it to boil in low heat, until all vegetables are done. 
2. serve

Notes :

1. If you decided to make the soup, and use all the vegetables I mentioned above, put potato and carrot first, wait for 5 minutes, add asparagus, wait for 3 minutes then add mushroom. wait for another 3 minutes. bring it to boil. This to make sure that the carrot is not overcooked. But if you're lazy like me, just put all them together (i mean, that's what a beginner level does, right? right?).
2. oh, and you can also add firm tofu to the soup.
3. However, diced tomatoes  should only be added last right before you serve. Trust me on this.
4. Remember to be careful when you're frying the ox tail. Best way is to use pot cover the size of the pan surface, while you're frying, and remove pan from heat before you flip the ox tail. Use tong and clear pot cover so that you can lift the cover just enough for your tong to slip in to use (don't fully open the cover), to prevent another oil attack to your face.

 The Result :

Like i said previously, you could eat this by itself or have the accompanying clear soup for different experience. I usually have a warm white rice with it too.

Enjoy!