SINGAPORE - Relish this flavour powerhouse of a Chinese-style oxtail stew that is a breeze to cook. Most home cooks have at least one stew in their repertoire. If you are looking to refresh your list of signature dishes, this is one recipe to add to your collection. For noob cooks, oxtail stew could be just the dish to boost your confidence as you embark on your personal culinary journey.
Why stews are great for the home cook? They are easy to cook and taste even better when kept overnight. How difficult can it be to throw everything in a pot?
But a secret to a truly flavoursome stew is to brown the meat before the stewing. Placing the meat in a sizzling hot pan creates those deep meaty flavours that go toward making your stew a success. The drawback is having one more item to clean.
This is where the sauce pot from the new line of Corningware Plasma Cast Aluminium Cookware from Corelle Brands comes in handy. Brown and stew the oxtail in the same pot. You get the convenience of one-pot cooking without compromising on flavour.
I love the rich gelatinous texture of oxtail which gives a slight gumminess to the stew. To keep the stew from being cloying, I skip using flour to thicken the stew, relying on diced tomatoes for texture and flavour. Worcestershire sauce accentuates the stew with a savoury tang.
A simple mix of spices like star anise, cloves, a cinnamon stick and black pepper keeps any strong meaty odours in check.
Don't estimate the role of daikon in your stew. This plain-looking member of the radish family imparts such marvellous sweetness that it is unnecessary to use beef stock.
With a diameter of 24cm, the 5-litre sauce pot is a comfortable size for home cooking. Crafted from cast aluminium, the sauce pot has excellent heat distribution - well-suited for stewing where you want slow and even cooking.
The cookware has a patented medical grade bio-ceramic coating that stands up to abrasion and heat well. The product line, which includes a 32-cm wok and 28-cm saute pan, can be used on gas, induction, halogen and electric coil cookers and you need only low to medium heat to cook your food.
Watch this space for more deliciously easy recipes on Sept 10, 17 and 24.
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Care for your cookware
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Corningware Plasma Cast Aluminium Cookware 24-cm (5-litre) sauce pot -
1. Before using the cookware for the first time, hand wash it thoroughly with warm soapy water. Rinse and dry.
2. Use cooking utensils made of wood, nylon, silicone or plastic for your cookware.
3. Always allow the cookware to cool completely before cleaning. For stubborn residue, make cleaning easier by pouring hot water and a little detergent into the cookware. Allow the water to cool before washing.
CHINESE-STYLE OXTAIL STEW
INGREDIENTS
30g butter
800g oxtail, cut into five large pieces
40g ginger, halved and bruised
100g whole garlic cloves (with skins on), lightly bruised
1 large red onion (200g), sectioned
2 carrots (220g), cut into 3.5-cm pieces
1 medium-sized daikon (580g), cut into 3.5-cm thick rounds
3 tomatoes (450g), diced
1.2 litres of water
3 Tbs light soya sauce
3 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
1 star anise
3 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp coarse black pepper
2 tsp salt
100g bunashimeiji mushroom, base removed
1 stalk of Chinese celery, sliced
METHOD
1. Add the butter into the pot over medium heat. As the butter begins to melt and sizzle, add the oxtail and fry for 8 minutes, turning over each piece of oxtail at intervals to ensure all sides are browned.
2. Add the ginger and garlic cloves. Fry for 2 minutes until aromatic.
3. Add the onion and fry for 1 minute.
4. Add the carrots and fry for 1 minute.
5. Add the daikon and pour the water into pot.
6. Add the diced tomato and season with light soya sauce and Worcestershire sauce.
7. Add in the star anise, cloves, cinnamon stick and coarse black pepper.
8. Season with salt and stir.
9. Cover and simmer on low heat for 2 hours and 20 minutes.
10. Add the bunashimeiji mushroom into the pot and simmer for 3 minutes until tender.
11. Transfer oxtail stew into serveware and garnish with Chinese celery just before serving.
Makes five servings.
Kitchenware courtesy of Corelle Brands.
Special promotion
Enjoy discounted prices when you purchase Corningware Plasma Cookware from now until the end of October (2018), while stocks last.
The promotional price for the 28-cm saute pan is $79 (usual price: $99), the 32-cm wok is $89 (usual price: $109), and the 24-cm sauce pot is at $69 (usual price: $89).
The cookware is available for purchase at BHG Bugis, Tangs VivoCity, OG Albert, OG Orchard Point, OG People's Park.
Corningware is celebrating its 60th anniversary with roadshows. For more information, go to www.corellebrandsasia.com/event-promotions
For enquiries, call 6468-2008.
