Recipe of the week: Indonesian oxtail soup (Sup Buntut) by Petty Pandean-Elliott

Light and comforting, this soup, popular in Jakarta, has a distinctive aroma, courtesy of a spiced infusion of nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon, says Petty Pandean-Elliott. It takes time, but your patience will be rewarded with juicy, fork-tender morsels of oxtail, and the toppings introduce even more texture, flavour and goodness to the dish. For a lighter, and more traditional, version, use water instead of beef stock.

Ingredients: serves four

For the soup

• 1.5kg chopped oxtail, fat trimmed and discarded
• 2.5 litres beef stock or water
• 5 makrut lime leaves, torn
• 2 banana shallots, thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 10g fresh root ginger, thinly sliced
• 10g galangal, thinly sliced
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 1 whole nutmeg, coarsely ground
• 1 tsp cloves
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 4 carrots, chopped into 1cm lengths
• 2 large potatoes, cut into 2cm cubes
• 2 tsp salt
• juice of 2 limes

For the toppings

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• 2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 3 tbsp crispy shallots (see below)
• 2 tbsp finely chopped Chinese parsley or parsley
• 3 tbsp finely chopped spring onions
• 1 large red chilli, thinly sliced (optional)
• To serve (optional):
• steamed rice
• lime wedges

Method

• Place the oxtail into a large saucepan and cover with room-temperature water. Bring to a boil and boil for 5 mins. Drain, then rinse the oxtail. Repeat.
• In the same pan, combine the oxtail and beef stock. Add the lime leaves, shallots, garlic, ginger, galangal, cinnamon stick, nutmeg, cloves and peppercorns. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 2 hours. If needed, cover with more water to keep the oxtail covered.
• Add the carrots, potatoes and salt. Simmer for another 45 mins or until tender and soft. Add the lime juice. Season to taste with more salt. Discard the lime leaves and cinnamon stick.
• To serve, arrange the oxtail and vegetables in 4 large bowls. Ladle in the soup, then top with tomatoes, crispy shallots, Chinese parsley, spring onions and chilli, if using. Serve as it is, or with a bowl of steamed rice and lime wedges.
• For the crispy shallots: thinly slice two banana shallots, sprinkle with a ¼ teaspoon of salt, and then deep fry in two batches in 200ml of hot (180°C) oil. Fry for 3-4 mins, until golden brown. Drain on a plate lined with kitchen paper.

Recipe from The Indonesian Table by Petty Pandean-Elliott, published by Phaidon at £24.95. To buy from The Week Bookshop for £19.99, call 020-3176 3835 or visit theweekbookshop.co.uk.

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