America's Test Kitchen - How to Make Multicooker Hawaiian Oxtail Soup | America's Test Kitchen (S24 E7)
The video provides a step-by-step guide to making Hawaiian oxtail soup, a dish that originated from 19th-century immigrants in Hawaii. The recipe uses a multi-cooker to save time and maintain the soup's clarity by preventing violent boiling. Key ingredients include oxtails, ginger, star anise, dried mandarin peels, jujubes, shiitake mushrooms, and peanuts, which contribute to the soup's rich and complex flavors. The process involves trimming the oxtails, creating a sachet for the aromatics, and cooking everything under high pressure for an hour. After cooking, the broth is strained and skimmed to remove fat, and vegetables like gai choy are added before serving. The soup is garnished with cilantro, scallions, and additional ginger for enhanced flavor.
Key Points:
- Use a multi-cooker to reduce cooking time and maintain broth clarity.
- Trim oxtails to reduce fat and ensure tenderness after cooking.
- Create a sachet for aromatics like ginger and star anise to infuse flavors easily.
- Add jujubes and peanuts for subtle sweetness and creamy texture.
- Garnish with cilantro and scallions for added freshness and flavor.
Details:
1. 🌺 Origins of Hawaiian Oxtail Soup
- Hawaii's sugarcane and pineapple plantations attracted immigrants from various countries, notably China, who brought their culinary traditions, including long, slow-cooked soups.
- Chinese immigrants adapted to local resources, using beef instead of traditional proteins like pork or chicken, which led to the creation of Hawaiian oxtail soup.
- The dish is a blend of Chinese culinary techniques with Hawaiian ingredients, reflecting the diverse immigrant influences in Hawaiian cuisine.
- The beef industry in Hawaii provided ample access to oxtail, a cut not commonly used in traditional Chinese cooking but well-suited for soup.
- Oxtail soup typically includes ingredients such as ginger, star anise, and soy sauce, simmered slowly to develop rich flavors.
2. 👩🍳 Preparing the Ingredients
- Trim three pounds of oxtails to a quarter-inch of fat to enhance flavor and texture, using a multi-cooker reduces the cook time by 3-4 hours, making the process more efficient.
- Use eight ounces of ginger, sliced without peeling, as it forms the base flavor of the broth, adding a distinct warmth and spice.
- Incorporate five star anise and a quarter ounce of tempeh (aged mandarin peels) to infuse the broth with a complex, aromatic flavor profile.
- Create a sachet using cheesecloth for easy removal of aromatics, ensuring a clear broth.
- Add eight jujubes (red dates) and one ounce of dried shiitake mushrooms for sweetness and umami depth.
3. ⏲️ Cooking with the Multi-cooker
3.1. Soup Preparation and Pressure Cooker Settings
3.2. America's Test Kitchen Mobile App Promotion
3.3. Post-Cooking Process
4. 🍲 Final Touches and Tasting
4.1. Final Touches
4.2. Tasting Process
5. 📱 ATK Mobile App and Membership Promo
- The broth-making process involves using a multi-cooker to achieve a clear broth by straining and separating fat, highlighting its efficiency in cooking without fat incorporation.
- Ingredients such as a pound of gai choy and cooked shiitake mushrooms are added to the soup for enhanced flavor, demonstrating specific ingredient selection.
- The final steps include adding soy sauce and garnishing with cilantro and scallions, showcasing techniques to elevate taste.
- Viewers are encouraged to visit americastestkitchen.com for a free trial membership, which includes access to over 14,000 test kitchen recipes and 8,000 product reviews, emphasizing the value offered through membership.
- The promotion of the app focuses on providing unlimited access to enhance cooking and learning experiences, highlighting its practical benefits.