Carefree Cooking

Curry Ox Tail = Yummy

I got a couple Ox Tail at the local chinese store this morning. They were on sale so I thought why not. When you buy Ox Tail, they look pretty lean. I just found out this mornig that there is a heavy layer of fat surrounding the tail. Luckily the trustee butcher at the supermarket cuts them off before selling them. Since the tail meat is very hard (unlike your typical tenderloin steak cuts), you need to cook them for a very long time. For the working people, I'd say try this during the weekend. Although it is simple, it does take 2-3 hours to cook.

I start off with puting just enough oil on a deep pot to cover the bottom (I used medium heat on the stove). Throw in the Ox Tail in the pot (the butcher would normally cut the tail into smaller pieces) and sear in the meat until they are brown on all sides. I don't really know if searing is important, but it makes me think that cooking this involves more skills than it actually requires. Pour in enough water to cover the meat. Turn the stove to low and wait for 2-3 hours. You can tell if the meat is done if it is soft and the meat is starting to separate from the bone. After that, I added the Glico curry (very common in most supermarkets) to the pot, stir a little bit and the dish is done.

I've made Ox Tail a lot of times before, but this is the first time I used the Glico curry. My friends have been telling me how good it is, so I decided to try it. The good thing about the Glico curry is that it has everything you need to finish the dish. You don't have to add any spices or thickening agent. I must say that the dish turned out really well (guess what I'm having for lunch tomorrow).

You may have noticed that I did not include measurements in my description above. Even though I'm an engineer by trade, I'm not really that good with measurements for cooking. I usually just rely on my gut feeling on how much I need. Besides, people have different taste so what I find too salty might be just right for other people. My suggestion is, taste the food and adjust accordingly.

Since I didn't know that I will be doing this blog thing, I didn't have the foresight to take a picture of the dish. But moving forward, I will try to take a picture of all the dishes I post here. That will force me to work in my presenation skills too.

If you have any experience with Ox Tail (or any similar food for that matter), please share with us.

posted by carefreecooking @ 12:47 AM