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2 large, round, crispy fried oxtail pieces coated with flour and lightly glazed with sweet dark soy sauce. Then on a separate bowl is the soup vegetable (chopped round carrot not long, with cabbage with a few cilantro on top of the soup.
Erwina

Crispy Fried Oxtail with Soy Sauce (Sop Buntut Goreng)

Crispy fried oxtail paired with a rich Indonesian vegetable soup — perfect comfort food for cold weather.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Indonesian
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the Soup:
  • 2 lb oxtail cut into large pieces
  • 6 cloves garlic
  • 1 medium onion or 8 shallots
  • 1 inch ginger
  • 3 cloves
  • 3 cardamom pods
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons sea salt divided
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon white pepper or black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon nutmeg powder
  • 1 teaspoon mushroom powder or dashi
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 4 liters water divided
  • Oil for frying
For the Vegetables:
  • 2 carrots cubed
  • 1 cup cabbage
  • 1 celery stalk chopped
  • 1 spring onion sliced
For the Flour Mixture (Fried Oxtail):
  • 300 g corn flour or tapioca starch
  • 1 pinch salt and black pepper
  • 1 egg
For the Sauce:
  • 1/2 medium onion finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
  • 1 tablespoon ketchup
  • 1 teaspoon sweet soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon mushroom powder or dashi optional
  • 1 pinch salt and black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons juice from the soup

Equipment

  • Large pot or pressure cooker

Method
 

Prepare the Soup Base and the Oxtail
  1. Blend the shallots (or onion) and garlic into a smooth paste.
  2. Heat 3 tablespoons of cooking oil over medium heat in a large pot or pressure cooker.
  3. Add the paste and saute for 5 minutes until fragrant and changed to a darker color.
  4. Add 2 liters of water and the oxtail. If using a pressure cooker, cook for 30 minutes. Alternatively, in a large pot, bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 90 minutes to 2 hours, or until the oxtail is tender.
  5. Once cooked, release the pressure carefully if using a pressure cooker. Remove the oxtail and place it on a rack to dry slightly. Strain the soup and skim off the fat.
  6. Add the vegetables (carrots, cabbage, celery, spring onion), bay leaves, 1 tablespoon salt, sugar, nutmeg, mushroom powder, and white pepper to the soup.
  7. Pour in 2 liters of fresh water. Simmer for 5-8 minutes, or until the vegetables reach your desired doneness.
Prepare the Fried Oxtail
  1. Combine the corn flour or tapioca starch, salt, and black pepper in a bowl. Beat the egg in a separate bowl.
  2. Dip each oxtail piece into the egg wash, then coat it in the flour mixture, shaking off any excess.
  3. Heat oil to 350 F (180 C) and fry the oxtail for 4-5 minutes, or until crispy and golden brown.
Prepare the Sauce
  1. Heat 1-2 tablespoons of oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and minced garlic. Saute for 3-5 minutes until softened.
  2. Stir in the oyster sauce, ketchup, mushroom powder (optional), salt, and black pepper.
  3. Add the sweet soy sauce and 2 tablespoons of soup juice. Simmer for 3 minutes.
  4. Toss the fried oxtail in the sauce, coating evenly.
  5. Serve the soup in bowls alongside the sauced fried oxtail and jasmine rice, garnished with spring onion or fried onion if desired.

Notes

This is the fried variety of Indonesian oxtail soup (Sop Buntut Goreng) — there's also a clear-broth version and a grilled version. Feel free to skip the crispy-fry-and-sauce step and simply serve the oxtail straight from the soup for the classic clear version.