With the help of a pressure cooker, Oxtail Soup (Hong Kong Style Borscht) can be prepared in much less time!  This hearty and flavorful tomato-based soup is cooked with oxtail and stew beef, onion, carrot, tomatoes, potatoes, and cabbage.

Pressure Cooker Oxtail Soup

INGREDIENTS

• 2 lb oxtails (900 g)
• 1 onion
• 2 celery stalks
• 2 carrots
• ¼ cabbage (160 g/5.4 oz)
• 2 tomatoes
• 2 Yukon gold potatoes
• ½ lb stew beef (chuck cut into bite-size cubes) (227 g)
• 1 1/2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Pinch kosher/sea salt (use half for table salt)
• freshly ground black pepper
• 4 cups beef stock (1 L or 1 QT)
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste

Seasonings A

• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 Tbsp dried basil
• 2 bay leaves

Seasonings B

• 3 Tbsp brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
• 2 tsp kosher/sea salt (use half for table salt)
• freshly ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Gather all the ingredients.
   

Soaking the Oxtails

1. To completely remove blood from the bone, soak the oxtails in cold water for 1 hour and discard the water.

Prepare Vegetables

1. Meanwhile, cut the onions into wedges, chop celery stalks into small pieces, and cut the carrots into chunks.
2. Roughly cut the cabbage into 1 inch squares and rinse under running water.
3. Cut the tomatoes into wedges and cut them in halves. Cut Yukon gold potatoes into quarters and soak in water for 15 minutes to remove excess starch.
4. Cut the stew beef into smaller pieces.

Boiling the Oxtails

1. After soaking the oxtails in one hour, drain and place them in a large pot and cover it with cold water. Bring it to boil over medium high heat.  Once boiling, turn down the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes, skimming foam on the surface frequently. Then take out the oxtail. Alternatively, you can skip skimming, drain the water, and rinse the oxtail under running water to get rid of foam and scum. Blanching oxtails before cooking helps remove blood and impurities.

Sautéing the Ingredients

1. Press the “Saute” button on your Instant Pot and heat 1 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil. Once the pot is hot, add the stew beef and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Brown the beef. Don’t flip the pieces around until they release themselves. Transfer the meats to a plate from the pot.
2. Once the pot is hot, add the stew beef and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Brown the beef. Don’t flip the pieces around until they release themselves. Transfer the meats to a plate from the pot.
3. Add the onion and celery and sauté until they are coated with oil and become tender. While sautéing, scrape the flavorful charred bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the tomatoes, carrots, and cabbage and coat them with oil.
4. When the vegetables are a bit wilted and soft, add the boiled oxtail, browned stew beef, and beef broth
5. Add tomato paste and Seasonings A (1 tsp paprika, 1 Tbsp dried basil, and 2 bay leaves).

Pressure Cooking

1. Cover and lock the lid on the pressure cooker. Make sure the steam release handle points at “sealing” and not “venting”. Press the “Keep Warm/Cancel” button on the Instant Pot to stop “saute” mode. Press the “Meat/Stew” button to switch to the pressure cooking mode. Press “plus” button to change the cooking time to 45 minutes.
2. If you’re using a stove-top pressure cooker, you won’t have any buttons to press. Just cook on high heat until high pressure is reached. Then reduce the heat to low but maintain high pressure for about 45 minutes.
3. When it is finished cooking, the Instant Pot will switch automatically to the “Keep Warm” mode. You have 2 options to release the pressure: 1) slide the steam release handle to the “Venting” position to let out steam until the float valve drops down, OR 2) let the pressure release naturally, about 15-20 minutes.
4. After de-pressurizing is completed, unlock the lid and add the potatoes and Seasonings B (3 Tbsp. brown sugar, 2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar, and 2 tsp. kosher salt). Add freshly ground black pepper if you like.
5. Cover and lock the lid on the pressure cooker. Make sure the steam release handle points at “sealing”. Press the “Keep Warm/Cancel” button and. Press the “Manual” button to switch to the pressure cooking mode. Press “minus” button to change the cooking time to 15 minutes.
6. If you’re using a stove-top pressure cooker, cook on high heat until high pressure is reached. Then reduce the heat to low but maintain high pressure for about 15 minutes.
7. Again, de-pressurizing with one of 2 methods, unlock the lid. Mix well and ladle the soup to individual bowls.

   

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