Staff writer Lil Miss Kim
When the Spice is Nice…
Oxtail and Beans (spinners optional)
In an attempt to impress her boyfriend, my friend decided one day to cook him a meal (please note…this is her first time cooking…EVER!). She thought it would be a great idea to cook ‘Oxtail.’ Now, we Jamaicans- especially men- love us some Oxtail and beans. We also know it’s not the easiest dish to cook…so why on earth would my friend…, who has never cooked in her entire life, attempt to cook such a meal… (The mind boggles).
Anyways she set out to cook her guy the best dish which he would’ve been anticipating. Poor lad didn’t know what hit him until no more than 10 mins after taking a bite, the toilet became a safe haven. In desperation he screamed ‘What did you put in this food?!’… In her state of naivety she answered (somewhat innocently)..’uhhmm..a little bit of curry, a little bit of ketchup, some fish seasoning’…lol and the list went on …might I add I was rolling on the floor while she told me this story…I was in hysterics! Even now as I write this blog. She sought to rationalise her actions by saying ‘I thought if I put a little bit of everything in, it would make it taste better’. I said ‘CURRY!..on OXTAIL!’ (still laughing).
Sad to say that my friend … and her now EX (nothing to do with the food: thank God) are not the only ones to fall victim to this kind of thinking. Put it all in… it will taste better!.. oh you are so wrong. So for my readers, just so we don’t fall into this category here’s a little advice on how to cook oxtail (including what should be used as seasoning 😉 )
Seasoning
I cook a mean oxtail by the way and these are the seasonings/spices I use…try it… you’ll taste for yourself J
I like natural seasoning so I use a lot of onion, escallion (spring onions), scotch bonnet/country peppers and of course sweet peppers (can’t hurt, they’re so colourful), thyme, and I can’t leave out my pimento seeds/cloves (I love me some pimento). Now on to artificial seasoning… add soya sauce (nice little flavour and gives it the colour), All purpose seasoning usually gives whatever you’re cooking that umph!; a little seasoning salt (obviously you’re gonna add salt so not too heavy now), some black pepper, oxtail seasoning(look it up..lol) and that should all be done to taste. Pressure or slowly cook till its tender. Re-add natural spices as you go along to pep up the taste.
Dont forget to put some spinners in (small dumplins…for those who don’t know) and your broad beans.
Now that’s what I call a mean oxtail…please try and let me know how it worked out. Hopefully better than my friend’s! … (Still laughing)
Ox tail dish
