Sticky Sichuan pepper oxtail with purple cabbage slaw

Serves: 4-6

This exclusive recipe comes from Sydney-based food writer, author, photographer and cook, Kate Gibbs. Try it out at home and impress your family or friends.

Did you know – Kate’s grandmother is Australian cookery icon and national living treasure Margaret Fulton?

Ingredients

1.5-2kg Cape Grim oxtail
1/3 cup of oil (such as rice bran)
50g (10 thin slices) ginger, thinly sliced
10 cloves Australian garlic, peeled and lightly crushed
2 bird’s eye chillis
3 star anise
2 tsp Sichuan peppercorn, coarsely ground in a mortar and pestle
1/2 tbsp sugar
1/3 cup rice wine or sake
1/2 cup soy sauce, plus extra
1 cup quality chicken stock or water
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar

cabbage slaw

1/2 small red cabbage
1/2 bunch coriander, roots, stalks and leaves chopped
2 shallots, finely sliced diagonally
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tbsp Japanese mayonnaise (Kewpie)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 165C. Pat dry oxtail with paper towel. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in an oven-proof pot with a lid over medium-high heat and brown oxtail all over in batches, being careful not to overcrowd the pan. Transfer to a bowl or plate.
2. Discard oil in wok and wipe down with paper towel, then return pot to medium heat. Add remaining oil and ginger and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Return oxtail to pan with garlic, chili, star anise, Sichuan pepper and sugar. Use a wooden spoon to toss ingredients together until sugar has caramelised.
3. Add rice wine, 1/2 cup soy and rice wine vinegar and let simmer over a medium heat, turning meat to coat well in soy, then add chicken stock or water and return to simmer. Place lid on pot and braise in oven 3 - 3 1/2 hours (turning meat after about 1 hour), until meat easily comes away from the bones.
4. Let meat sit on stove, covered, about 30 minutes, then use a spoon to carefully remove and discard most of the fat from the top. Return pot to stove and simmer, uncovered, to thicken and reduce liquid further if needed.
5. Meanwhile, make the purple cabbage slaw. Remove outer leaves and finely shred cabbage, then combine in a bowl in coriander and shallots. In a small jar, shake together lemon juice, Dijon, salt and mayonnaise, then drizzle over cabbage to taste. To serve, arrange oxtail on a serving platter with a spoonful or two of sauce, and cabbage slaw on another.

Tips

This dish can be done in a pressure cooker or slow cooker. For slow cooker, simply omit the oven step and cook 3 to 3 1/2 hours. For pressure cooker, omit chicken stock or water from recipe and cook at medium pressure for 1 hour, natural release. To reduce the liquid a little once the lid is removed, let simmer 20 minutes.

We hope you enjoy making and eating - this Cape Grim Beef dish. The array of recipes are updated continuously so please check the website for new additions.

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