Today’s recipe is the pressure cooker version of our family’s favorite Oxtail Soup – Hong Kong Style Borscht. Since it’s Mr. JOC’s favorite comfort soup, I’ve been cooking this recipe with my Instant Pot to reduce cooking time. For those unfamiliar with Hong Kong-style Borscht, it’s an oxtail soup that uses tomatoes instead of beetroots in the classic Russian Borscht. If you love tomato base soup, you’ll enjoy this rich and flavorful Oxtail Soup during the cold months.
What’s Oxtail?
Did you grow up eating oxtail? Oxtail is the culinary name for the tail of cattle. Growing up in Japan, I had never heard of oxtail (牛の尾, オックステール). When I came to the U.S. and learned the word “ox” in English means cattle, I was surprised that this particular part of cattle is edible. I was a bit uncomfortable the first time I tried this meat. You should have seen my children’s reaction when I told them the first time which part of the cattle they were eating when I made this soup. Well, that didn’t stop us from loving oxtails, as they give such unique flavors, and the meat is super tender and juicy. Each oxtail piece has a tailbone with some marrow in the center. There is not much meat surrounding the tail; when there is, they tend to be more gelatinous. Oxtails are great for making braises, soups, stews, and stocks. You might have tried the classic Russian/Ukrainian Borscht, Italian Oxtail Stew, Korean Oxtail Soup, Chinese Oxtail Soup, and Filipino Kare-Kare. Oxtail requires a long time to cook since it’s so bony and fatty. However, with the help of pressure cooking, you can minimize the cooking time!
Tips for Making Pressure Cooker Oxtail Soup
Oxtail:
If you have never purchased oxtails, go to the butcher or a grocery store with a butcher counter. If the grocery store doesn’t have them in the showcase, they sometimes keep them in the freezer. So remember that you must shop at least one day before you cook this dish to have enough time to defrost oxtails in the refrigerator overnight. You can use stew beef. Pressure cook for 15-20 minutes (much shorter!)
Vegetables:
Make sure to saute onion and celery and get the flavor base going! I highly recommend using all the vegetables I listed in this recipe without substation. Each ingredient contributes nicely to the soup. Tomato Paste: Depending on how tomato-ey you want your soup to be, you can adjust the amount of tomato paste you put in your soup. I recommend at least two tablespoons to start with. You can use tomato puree or tomato sauce if you don’t have tomato paste. You can reduce 2-3 tablespoons of tomato puree or sauce for one tablespoon of tomato paste until thickened.
Beef Broth:
I use beef broth from Trader Joe’s, and I like it as it’s not too salty compared to other brands. If you use other brands, please taste the soup before adding salt.
Pressure Cooker (Instant Pot):
I usually use pressure cooking mode on my favorite Instant Pot (I’m not sponsored; I just love this gadget!) rather than slow cooking mode simply because I typically decide on dinner menus pretty last minute. If you have an electric slow cooker or slow cooking that fits your lifestyle, you can also use this recipe.
No pressure cooker or slow cooker?
You can make it on the stovetop! Wish to learn more about Japanese cooking? Sign up for our free newsletter to receive cooking tips & recipe updates! And stay in touch with me on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram. Disclaimer: We received no compensation for the wine review. We received 3 different wines from Jarvis Communications free of charge to use in exchange for an honest review.
