红烧牛尾Red-Braised Oxtail with Daikon
Hóngshāo niúwěi
Oxtail blanched, seared and pressure-cooked in soy, Shaoxing, rock sugar and star anise until it falls off the bone, with daikon added at the end so it holds its shape.
- Time
- 45 min hands-on, 1 h 45 total
- Makes
- servings
- Chapter
- 炖煮 Braises and simmers
- Source
- Worked out in a cooking chat, Sep 2026
- Gear
- Instant Pot
配料 Ingredients
Oxtail
Aromatics
Braise
To finish
做法 Method
Blanch
Cover 3 lb oxtail with cold water in a pot and bring to a boil. Boil, skimming the scum.
Drain, rinse under warm water, and pat very dry.
Sear
Set the Instant Pot to Sauté (High) with 2 tbsp neutral oil. Sear the oxtail in two batches, 3 to 4 minutes a side, until deeply browned. Set aside.
Add 1 medium onion, 2 shallots, 6 garlic cloves, 8 thick ginger slices and the scallion whites from 4 scallions. Sauté until fragrant.
Pour in ⅓ cup Shaoxing wine and scrape the bottom completely clean. Leftover browned bits trigger the burn warning.
Pressure cook
Stir in ⅓ cup light soy sauce, 2 tbsp dark soy sauce, 2 tbsp rock sugar or brown sugar, 2 star anise, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 tsp white pepper and 2 cups water or unsalted stock. Nestle the oxtail in; the liquid should come about halfway up the meat.
Cancel Sauté, seal, and cook on High pressure.
Let the pressure come down on its own, then vent the rest. Quick release tightens the meat.
Daikon
The meat should pull from the bone with a fork; if it resists, give it 5 to 10 more minutes. Push 1 lb daikon under the liquid, seal, and cook on High.
Quick release.
Glaze
Lift out the oxtail and daikon. Skim off the fat (there is a lot), then boil the liquid on Sauté to reduce by about a third.
Whisk 1 tbsp cornstarch into 2 tbsp cold water, stir it in, and simmer a minute until glossy. Add a splash more soy if it needs it.
Serve
Return the oxtail and daikon and turn them in the sauce. Serve over steamed rice with the sliced scallion greens.
笔记 Notes
From cooking it
- My liquid only pooled about an inch deep at first. Top it up so it reaches halfway up the meat, or there won't be enough sauce to cover the daikon.
- Pieces I blanched but didn't sear still came out tender, with a lighter, cleaner sauce. Searing gives the deeper one.
- Don't trim the white tendon: that collagen is what makes the sauce. If a thick base piece is still chewy, it needs more time, not less; it's done when the tendon turns translucent.
Tips
- Thick tail sections may need 55 minutes. Better the next day; chill, lift off the fat cap, reheat gently.
- For a wine braise, use a dry, full-bodied red like Syrah or Côtes du Rhône, about 1½ to 2 cups, reduced by half before the stock goes in.