With the help of an Instant Pot, you can make this Pressure Cooker Oxtail Soup quickly. Known as Hong Kong-style Borscht, it‘s a hearty tomato-based soup chock full of melt-in-your-mouth oxtail and flavorful vegetables. It‘s sheer comfort in a bowl!
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!
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Pressure Cooker Oxtail Soup
Video
Ingredients
- 2 lb oxtails
- 1 onion
- 2 ribs celery
- 2 carrots
- ¼ head green cabbage (5.4 oz, 160 g)
- 2 tomatoes
- 2 Yukon gold potatoes
- ½ lb boneless beef chuck roast (I recommend chuck roast for its tenderness and higher quality; you can use stew beef, but it‘s not as tender; I used stew beef here)
- 1½ Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ⅛ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 4 cups beef stock/broth
For Seasonings A
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 Tbsp dried basil (or 2 Tbsp fresh basil)
- 2 bay leaves
For Seasonings B
- 3 Tbsp brown sugar (packed)
- 2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
- 2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
To Prepare the Oxtails
- To completely remove the blood and impurities from the oxtail bone, soak 2 lb oxtails in cold water for 1 hour, changing the water a few times.
To Prepare the Vegetables
- Meanwhile, cut 1 onion into wedges, chop 2 ribs celery into small pieces, and cut 2 carrots into chunks.
- Roughly cut ¼ head green cabbage into 1-inch (2.5-cm) squares and rinse under running water.
- Cut 2 tomatoes into wedges and cut the wedges in half crosswise. Peel and cut 2 Yukon gold potatoes into quarters and soak them in water for 15 minutes to remove the excess starch.
- Cut ½ lb boneless beef chuck roast (or stew beef) into smaller pieces. Pat the pieces dry with a paper towel for searing later.
To Boil the Oxtails
- After soaking the oxtails for one hour, drain the water. Place them in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring it to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, turn down the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Using a fine-mesh sieve, skim off the foam and scum on the surface frequently. After simmering, take out the oxtail or drain the water. Blanching oxtails before cooking helps remove blood and impurities.
To Sauté the Ingredients
- Press the Sauté button on an Instant Pot (I use a 6 QT Instant Pot) or heat your stovetop pressure cooker. Add 1½ Tbsp extra virgin olive oil to the pot.
- Once the pot is hot, add the chuck roast (or stew beef) and season with ⅛ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt and ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper. Sear the beef until it‘s brown on all sides. For a good sear, don’t flip the pieces around until they release themselves. Transfer the meat to a plate.
- 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 toss to coat them with oil.
- When the vegetables are a bit wilted and soft, add the boiled oxtail, browned stew beef, and 4 cups beef stock/broth.
- Now, add Seasonings A: 2 Tbsp tomato paste, 1 tsp paprika, 1 Tbsp dried basil, and 2 bay leaves.
To Pressure Cook
- Cover and lock the lid on the pressure cooker. Make sure the steam release handle points at Sealing and not Venting. For the Instant Pot, press the Keep Warm/Cancel button to stop the Sauté mode. Press the Meat/Stew button to switch to the pressure cooking mode. Press the Plus (+) button to set the cooking time to 45 minutes.
- For a stovetop pressure cooker, cook on high heat until high pressure is reached. Then, reduce the heat to low but maintain high pressure for about 45 minutes.
- When it is finished cooking, the Instant Pot will switch automatically to the “Keep Warm” mode. Let the pressure release naturally, about 15–20 minutes.
- After depressurizing, unlock the lid. Add the potatoes and Seasonings B: 3 Tbsp brown sugar, 2 Tbsp white wine vinegar, and 2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt). Add ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper, if you‘d like.
- Cover and lock the lid again on the pressure cooker. Make sure the steam release handle points at Sealing. For the Instant Pot, press the Keep Warm/Cancel button and press the Manual button to switch to pressure cooking mode. Press the Minus (-) button to change the cooking time to 15 minutes.
- For a stovetop 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.
- When it is finished cooking, the Instant Pot will switch automatically to the Keep Warm mode. Let the pressure release naturally, about 15–20 minutes. Unlock the lid and mix well. To serve, ladle the soup into individual bowls and enjoy!
To Store
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for a month.
Nutrition
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.
Hi I cooked once using your recipe with instant pot. It tasted very nice and close to authentic HK restaurant made except a bit of vinegary aftertaste. What’s the purpose of including white wine vinegar in your recipe ( to dissolve brown sugar)? Can I leave it out? Thanks and regards. Yvonne
HI Yvonne! You can leave it out or reduce it. Thank you for trying this recipe! 🙂
Hi Nami, how long should I cook it for if I use a slow cooker instead?
Hi Leah! Should be 5-6 hours on high or 10 hours on low. 🙂
I love this recipe! Instead of fresh tomatoes, I use Muir Glen whole tomatoes in tomato sauce 28 oz, it makes the sauce a lot thicker. I also don’t care for cabbage and leave it out, but add mushrooms when sauteing the vegetables and serve it over rice.
Hi Terri! Wonderful! Thank you so much for trying this recipe! 🙂
Thanks for the recipe. It was delicious.
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Hi Susan! Ohhh that looks delicious! Thanks so much for trying this recipe. I wish I have a big pot of this soup! Thank you for sharing the pic with me! 🙂
Hi there,
Thank you for the recipe! Can you use russet potatoes instead of yukon gold?
Thank you ,
Anne
Hi Anne! Sure! 🙂
Made this 2 nights ago…simply delicious….My husband loved it as well. I did buy oxtails at Costco and trimmed fat as you suggested. We ate really large portions and still was able to eat it 2 nights in a row and freeze leftovers. This recipe really serves 5-6…Thanks so much for a delicious recipe.
Hi Lyn! I’m so happy you tried this recipe! Haha, I agree. I feel like it serves at least 5. The new recipe card doesn’t allow me to write serve for 4-6, which was my original recipe. I had to remove 6 to be safe, since American serving is always large. Glad you remove that excess fat from Costco oxtail. Thank you for your kind feedback!
Hi. I made this soup last night and it was delicious! I don’t have an instant pot-although your blog is moving me in that direction! I cooked the oxtails in my stove-top pressure cooker until tender and then finished the recipe in a soup pot on the stove. I used more tomato paste-about 4 Tbs. Thank you for this terrific recipe.
Hi Christine! Wonderful! Thanks so much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback. 🙂 xo
Ox Tail Soup or Beef Oxtail is a favorite in my household. I use a slightly different recipe however my recipe parallels Nami’s recipe closely. During my travels to Southern Thailand, I acquired this recipe.
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In addition to oxtail, beef tendons are added to the soup. I cook the tails and tendons in a slow cooker over night. In this way the meat is tenderized and absorbs the flavors of the broth. It is very time consuming to use the slow cooker, but if you have the time, it is well worth it.
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In my household, beef oxtail soup is serving with Jasmine white rice. I love to spice my soup with Koregusu Okinawa seasoning. The soup is garnished with fried shallots and cilantro.
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Beef oxtail soup is the soup to die for!
Hi Steve! Wow thank you so much for sharing your tip! I’ve never heard of Koregusu Okinawa Seasoning (I’ve never been to Okinawa yet) so I looked up. Interesting! I’d love to try your oxtail soup. Sounds really delicious. 🙂
Koregusu Okinawa Seasoning is very easy to make at home. To a bottle of Okinawa Awamori, add (as much as you can tolerate) whole Togarashi pods. I add about 10-15 pieces. Let it sit for three weeks and it’s ready. You will notice the clear colour of liquid has turned into an amber colour. I usually put a teaspoon or two in soups, udon, ramen, okinomiyaki, takoyaki, tamago, etc.
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The Awamori, I use is the 30%+ by volume. For those that don’t have access to the Awamori, you can substitute with good quality vodka. Please be aware that Koregusu Okinawa Seasoning is NOT FOR MINORS due to it’s alcohol content.
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If you like to kick you food a notch up, I recommend Koregusu Okinawa Seasoning!!!
Thank you so much for your detailed explanation, Steve! I’d love to try it one day!
I just saw Ox tails at Costco yesterday…I’m going back to purchase to make this soup…thanks for sharing…will report back after I make it:)
Hi Lyn! I have used oxtail from costco. One thing I don’t like theirs is that it has too much fat around it. So you might want to spend some time scraping off the white parts around the oxtail (fat) with a sharp knife. Also, pieces are smaller too. Supermarkets with a butcher behind the counter should have oxtail in the freezer. Ask them to show how it looks like. The quality might be better. 🙂
We are going to try the Oxtail recipe next week but we have a couple of beef shanks in the freezer. We’re going to try it using those in a slow cooker. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Hi Randy! Yes, let me know how it turns out. I’m hoping to make it this weekend too. 🙂
I love everything that you have shared so far. I didn’t get to go get the oxtail or ingredients yet but you are awesome. Thank you so much.
Yae
Hi Yaeko! Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy this recipe! 🙂
I have a new pressure cooked but imited in what it does compared to the instant pot. Can I still use my or would you recommend buying the Instant Pot.
Love following you.
A Takashima
Hi Annette! If it’s pressure cook, please use it. Is it a stovetop? I put the directions in the recipe. If it’s electric pressure cooker, use high to cook for the same amount of time. 🙂 . Hope you enjoy!
I love oxtail. My grandmother used to prepare it for me as a child, using Chinese herbs, and that version of oxtail soup is comfort food for me. Nowadays, I cook oxtail stew in the pressure cooker. I’ve never parboiled the oxtail like that, but it looks like it makes the overall dish less fatty/oily. I may take the extra step to do that next time. I definitely want to try this soup you’ve made- it looks so delicious! Thanks for sharing a new Instant Pot and oxtail recipe!
Hi Tiphanie! It’s so nice that you have your grandma’s recipe! I did some research and it’s very common to parboil the oxtail – when I adapted a recipe, it was said 1 hour, so I parboiled 45 minutes, but after reading some articles, it’s commonly boiled for just 15 minutes. So I updated my recipe. Also, it’s recommended to soak in cold water for 1 hour to completely remove blood. So I also added that. I wish I did some more research when I first tried cooking oxtail, and I apologize for the change of my recipe for the prepping oxtail part. 🙂
Hello! Just wondering if I can make this with my Dutch oven? If so, how long would I have to cook it for? Thank you !
Yes, you can follow this recipe:
https://www.justonecookbook.com/borscht-soup-hong-kong-style/
Hope you enjoy!
Just curious, what is the purpose of boiling so long in step 1 “Preparing the Oxtail”? Most Asian recipes boil only for ~5 minutes; the gunk comes out after that time. Can I boil for less time in step 1 and more in the pressure cooker step? I’d like to be able to leave the house while it cooks in the pressure cooker. Thanks.
Hi hmucha! Thank you so much for bringing this to my attention!
Based on a recipe that I adapted from (a blog, but it’s not available anymore), I boiled for 45 minutes (original was 1 hour). And I have been doing that for a long time since I made that (non pressure cooker version) recipe.
https://www.justonecookbook.com/borscht-soup-hong-kong-style/
However, since you mentioned, I did some research, and you’re right.
In Japanese recipes, most recipes recommend 1-3 times to boil. You put the oxtail in cold water, bring it to boil, then throw away water. Then add water, bring it to boil, then trow away… some recipes recommend for once or twice, or three times.
It takes some time to bring to boiling (since it’s from water), so I’d say if you have time, do it 3 times, but I think one time works.
American/western recipes usually recommend just once.
I wish I did some extensive research before I used that original recipe to cook oxtail, but it was my first time using oxtail and I just followed the recipe without doing my research.
I updated my recipe with more information. Sorry the video doesn’t match in the beginning. I’ll try again with 15 minutes boiling and see how the oxtail becomes for this recipe. 🙂
Thank you again for your comment!
Wow, thanks for doing the research. I’m Chinese and the recipes I’ve seen just boil the meat for ~5 minutes. I’m not surprised that Japanese recipes are more thorough. 🙂
By the way, your written recipe doesn’t say when to put in the carrots. I see from the video it’s step 3.
Thank you for pointing that out that carrot is missing in the recipe. I added the carrot in the directions. 🙂
FYI, the recipe has been updated with a new video & new recipe. Thank you!