I believe there's no better cut of meat for a stew than oxtail. It's a seriously good dish, but it just takes a long time to cook it.
So I asked chef Thamsanqa Dlamini to share with us some of his oxtail recipes that you can try at this time of the year.
Durban Oxtail Curry
(Serves 8)
Preparation time: 15 minutes.
Cooking time: 2 hours 25 minutes.
Ingredients
2kg Oxtail Meat
2 tbsp Barbeque spice
2 tsp salt
200ml cooking oil
2 large onions chopped
Handful Briyani Mix (make sure you put all condiments)
2 tbsp Jeraah & Dhania spice
1 tbsp paprika
6 fresh chillies
2 tbsp Turmeric spice
3 tbsp Durban masala spice
4 tsp ginger & garlic paste
3 medium tomatoes
Use water if desired
4 spring curry leaves
6 even sized potatoes
6 even sized carrots
3 sprig fresh coriander (chopped dhania)
Method
Season the oxtail with meat barbeque spice and salt.
In a pot, heat oil and brown the seasoned oxtail on all sides, remove from the pot and set aside
Then heat oil and then add onion, briyani mix, Jeraah & dhania, paprika, chopped chillies, turmeric & spices to fry for a few seconds (allow onion to soften)
Add masala, ginger & garlic allow to cook for a few seconds (do not burn masala)
Add tomato (when almost cooked stir in browned meat and allow to sauté)
Add some water
Turn down heat and cover saucepan
Cook until meat begins to fry up
Add the curry leaves and salt
Add the water (if necessary) and also add the potatoes and carrots.
Bring to a boil, and then turn down to moderate heat
Cook until meat is tender & potatoes are soft
Simmer until ready to serve
Garnish with dhania
Serve with pap, rice, jeqe or dombolo (steamed bread)