Quick and Easy Sop Buntut – Indonesian Oxtail Soup
This post may contain affiliate links.Indonesian Sop Buntut, a famous traditional oxtail soup with tender meat and vegetables is a must try for Asian food lovers. This recipe calls for instant pot that makes the process much quicker and the result very tender!
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Sop Buntut – Oxtail Soup
Sop Buntut, or Indonesian Oxtail Soup, is a cozy, delicious dish that’s a favorite in Indonesia. It’s all about tender oxtail simmered in a rich, savory broth loaded with spices like nutmeg, cloves, and pepper for a warm, flavorful kick.
The soup is packed with veggies like carrots, potatoes, and celery, making it both colorful and tasty. It’s usually served with steamed rice, a squeeze of lime, and some crispy fried shallots on top for extra flavor and crunch. Whether you’re craving comfort food on a cold day or sharing a meal with friends and family, this traditional dish can be a wonderful choice.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
Recipe Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
Oxtail – Choose oxtail with center cut because it has more meat than fat content.
Spices – Try to get the fresh spices, but if you can’t, you can get dried form or ground form. It will not affect the taste too much.
How to Make
- Prepare the potatoes. Peel and cut the potatoes, deep-fry them until golden brown. Set aside.
- Blend the spices and herbs in a food processor. Set aside.
- Put the beef oxtail in the instant pot. Pour 2000 ml water into it. Close the lid tightly. Turn on the stove and cook for 20-30 minutes.
- After 20-30 minutes, take off the lid carefully. Remember to let the steam finish for a while before opening the lid.
- Test the oxtail with a skewer if the meat is soft enough. If it is not soft enough, you can continue cooking the oxtails for another 10-15 minutes.
- After it is done, set aside the oxtail. Transfer the broth into a regular pot.
- Heat some cooking oil. Pour in the blended spices and herbs.
- Add lemongrass stalks, bay leaves, lime leaves, cinnamon stick, and cardamom. Saute until fragrant.
- Transfer the spices and herbs into the broth. Put in carrots, and the oxtails. Let it boil and cook until the carrots are soft enough.
- Add salt, pepper, and mushroom powder. Taste it.
- Take out the lemongrass stalks, bay leaves, lime leaves, and cardamom away.
- The next step is optional. If you want to have a smooth broth, you can strain the broth. I like clean and smooth broth, so I usually strain the broth.
- If you think the soup has too much fat layers on top, you can keep the pot in the fridge for a few hours until you can see some white fat layer on top. Discard the fat layer and reheat.
- Serve the oxtail soup with fried potatoes and some fresh tomato slices.
- Sprinkle with celery, fried shallots, and add some emping crackers.
- Serve with lime wedge, sweet soy sauce, and chili sauce.
Expert Tips
- The fat content in the broth can be very thick from the oxtail. If you want to reduce it, put the broth in a fridge for a few hours until you can see the fat layer harden, which is white. Discard the fat layer and reheat to enjoy. The soup will be less greasy.
- Strain the broth to take out the spices and herbs so your broth will be very clean and smooth.
- Cut the potatoes and deep-fry them. Separate them from the broth. This will keep the broth clear from gluten.
- Boil the carrots and take out from the broth, so when you reheat, the carrots don’t get overcooked.
FAQs
Storage
Keep in the chiller for up to 5 days or up to one month in the freezer. For vegetable toppings like fried potatoes, tomato slices, celery, and carrots, you’d better use fresh ones.
Our Favorite
Indonesian Dish Recipes
Sop Buntut Sapi – Oxtail Soup
Equipment
- 1 pressure cooker
- 1 cooking pot
Ingredients
- 500 gr oxtail
- 2000 ml water
- 3 carrots
- 3 potatoes
- 2 tomatoes
- 2 tsp salt
Spices and Herbs
- 12 red shallots
- 6 garlic
- 2 pcs ginger
- 3 lemongrass stalks
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 lime leaves
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp pepper
- 5 pcs cloves
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 6-8 pcs cardamom
Garnish
- 2-3 celery minced
- 2-3 green onion minced
- Fried red shallots
- Lime
- Chili sauce
- Emping crackers
Instructions
- Prepare the potatoes. Peel and cut the potatoes, deep-fry them until golden brown. Set aside.
- Blend the spices and herbs in a food processor. Set aside.
- Put the beef oxtail in the instant pot. Pour 2000 ml water into it. Close the lid tightly. Turn on the stove and cook for 20-30
minutes. - After 20-30 minutes, take off the lid carefully. Remember to let the steam finish for a while before opening the lid.
- Test the oxtail with a skewer if the meat is soft enough. If it is not soft enough, you can continue cooking the oxtails for
another 10-15 minutes. - After it is done, set aside the oxtail. Transfer the broth into a regular pot.
- Heat some cooking oil. Pour in the blended spices and herbs.
- Add lemongrass stalks, bay leaves, lime leaves,
cinnamon stick, and cardamom. - Saute until fragrant.
- Transfer the spices and herbs into the broth. Put in carrots, and the oxtails. Let it boil and cook until the carrots are soft enough.
- Add salt, pepper, and mushroom powder. Taste it.
- Take out the lemongrass stalks, bay leaves, lime leaves, and cardamom away.
- The next step is optional. If you want to have a smooth broth, you can strain the broth. I like clean and smooth broth, so I usually strain the broth.
- If you think the soup has too much fat layers on top, you can keep the pot in the fridge for a few hours until you can see some white fat layer on top. Discard the fat layer and reheat.
- Serve the oxtail soup with fried potatoes and some tomato slices.
- Sprinkle with celery, fried shallots, and add some emping crackers.
- Serve with lime wedge, sweet soy sauce, and chili sauce. Enjoy!
You won’t believe how easy it is to make this Sop Buntut / Indonesian Oxtail Soup! Its’ loaded with spices and herbs, fully packed with vegetables and with tender oxtails. You’ll love it!