Zimbabwean and African Oxtail Stew | National Dish Recipe

Wayne @NationalDish — Tue, 17 Jan 2023 14:09:43 +0000

Oxtail Stew, especially when coming from Africa, is insane.

Some people get a little weird about cooking with oxtail – which I sort of get, sort of (I’m being a little polite), but they wouldn’t have an issue with oxtail soup from a can, and it tastes way better when you make it fresh.

Everyone knows, anything you cook low and slow, on the bone, is gonna be awesome, this African oxtail stew recipe is no different.

In terms of the country of origin for this oxtail stew recipe, I could have gone British, it’s very traditional. Oxtail is a fascinating ingredient, used all over the world and Sub-Saharan Africa in particular is a massive consumer and I love African cuisine, which is only going to get more popular, plus it has some spice, which = winner. I’ve tried a few and this one is from Zimbabwe.

I’ve said it’s really easy and it is. 30 mins prep and then let is sit in the oven for 3 hours. Before we get going, whack the oven on full and pop a cast iron casserole dish in there – do this first, put the kettle on too for beef stock.

Oxtail Stew Recipe

Oven is on and the casserole dish should be in there getting nice and hot - we'll roast of the oxtails for 20 minutes before adding the stew ingredients and then you can go to the pub for a couple of hours.

CourseMain Dish
CuisineAfrican, Zimbabwean
KeywordAfrica, Oxtail, Stew

Servings4 people

Prep Time30 minutes

Cook Time3 hours

Ingredients

650grams oxtailcut into chunks - as they come is fine
2whole white onionroughly chopped
2whole bay leaves
3 birdseye chilliessliced
2tbls plain flourto dust the oxtail
500ml beef stockboil the kettle up front and get this ready
3cloves garliccrushed or finely chopped
1tin chopped tomatoes400g tin will do it
2 green pepperde-seeded and chopped into handy chunks
1tsp curry powderyup, gives it a slightly different angle - this one is rather important
1tsp thymefresh is ideal but dried will do - just don't leave it out
2tbls tomato puree

Instructions

Ok, before we start chopping everything up, let's sort the oxtail out. The casserole dish should be in the oven and either getting very hot or already is. In this order, oil the oxtail and then season generously with Maldon Sea Salt and dust with the flour.
Pull the hot casserole dish out of the oven and put on the hob, add a couple of tablespoons of oil and then add all the oxtail (or in batches). Put the lid on and place back into the oven for 20 minutes - no more though, lets not burn the oxtail. During this time you can prep the other ingredients - do the beef stock first. You can seal it on the hob too, but I found this way gives the Oxtail a better finish.
Pull the casserole pot out of the oven and turn the heat down to 140 degrees. Remove the oxtail and put aside and place the casserole dish on hob, medium heat. The Oxtail should be gnarly leaving behind some tasty fat for the next step.
Add all the onions and fry for 5 minutes and then add the garlic, chillies, green pepper, thyme, curry powder and tomato puree. Stir and fry for another few minutes, gently until soft. Then add all the beef stock and bayleaves.
Give it a good stir and add the oxtail back in, push below the surface of the sauce (top up with water if you need to) and replace the lid. Place into the oven for 3 hours at 140 degrees. Check it hourly and prevent it drying out by adding more water.
You'll then have a deep bath for the Oxtail, ready to go in the oven - you can then chill. Won't hurt to check it half way through, to make sure you haven't lost too much liquid.
After three hours the meat should have been falling off the bones and you should have plenty of sauce - it serves wonderfully with white rice, but that's up to you - why not just grab a bowl and crusty bread?
Thank you Zimbabwe, Africa

The post Zimbabwean and African Oxtail Stew | National Dish Recipe appeared first on National Dish.

Chinese Chicken Fried Cauliflower Rice | 鸡炒饭 | What is the national dish of China?

Wayne @NationalDish — Mon, 24 Apr 2017 13:29:13 +0000

Chicken Fried Rice, try it with cauliflower instead of all at that carb

When you think of fried rice you think of China. There are dump loads of variations and that’s before you even get to ‘special fried rice’ on the take away menu. This uses cauliflower rice instead of the complex starchy carb, rocket fuel, real rice version, much healthier for our rich western diets – and just as nice, no, nicer.

Firstly, you’ll need to sort the cauliflower rice, here’s the recipe, do the 3 minute version – see you back here soon.

鸡炒饭 | Chinese Chicken Fried Cauliflower Rice

Just to really overload you with fresh healthy veggies, I even lobbed in some broccoli - your mother will lose her shit when she learns about how healthy you've been eating, she spent years trying to force this down your throat, finally, she's getting somewhere and it even tastes good.

CourseMain Dish, Side Dish
CuisineChinese

Servings2 people

Prep Time15 minutes

Cook Time25 minutes

Ingredients

1medium cauliflower
2 spring onionschunky slices at an angle
1bunch fresh corianderfinely chop the stalks and keep separate to the leaves
1sliced fresh red chilli
1medium broccolicut into florets
1tbls sesame oil
1/2 red pepperchopped into 2cm chunks (use your favourite colour)
1/2 green pepperchopped into 2cm chunks
60ml dark soy sauce
2beaten eggs
1 white onionchopped
300g chicken thigh filletscut into bite sized chunks
1small handful celery3mm slices
1small handful carrotchopped

Instructions

Firstly, you should have sorted out the cauliflower rice to the three minute recipe, you'll finish it off here.
In a pan, preferably a wok, heat the oil over a medium high heat and fry off the white onion, celery and carrot for a couple of minutes. the add the chicken,
Mix and cook for a few minutes, adding colour to everything.
Add all the peppers and coriander stalks and mix in, By now you should have loads of colour - cook that off for a couple of minutes.
Add the broccoli and mix that in and then leave to simmer, stirring from time to time for 10 minutes, don't let it catch. If it dries out, add a little water just to keep it loose.
Add all the cauliflower rice and mix,
Next. move everything to the side, hold the pan up slightly and pour in the beaten egg.
Scramble the egg over the heat before you mix through.
Give it a taste and season very carefully with salt, don't forget you've use soy, so this is just to balance it up if you think you need it, but very likely, not.
On a serving plate, build a pile and garnish with the coriander leaves and spring onions.
Thank you China

谢谢

The post Chinese Chicken Fried Cauliflower Rice | 鸡炒饭 | What is the national dish of China? appeared first on National Dish.

green pepper Archives | National Dish

Zimbabwean and African Oxtail Stew | National Dish Recipe

Chinese Chicken Fried Cauliflower Rice | 鸡炒饭 | What is the national dish of China?