Flavorful oxtails are popular in Caribbean cooking, and since they benefit from long, slow cooking, a stew like this curry is a perfect preparation. The oxtails cook to falling-off-the-bone tenderness and impart a wonderful richness to the sauce. Caribbean curries typically start with a green marinade that includes scallions, Scotch bonnet pepper, onions, garlic, ginger and culantro. Also known as shado beni, culantro is widely used throughout the Caribbean. This herb is similar to cilantro but more potent, making it better suited for long-cooked dishes, although cilantro can be used as a substitute. Jamaican curry powder is much like East Asian blends but typically has warmer notes from a good amount of nutmeg, cinnamon and clove, helping to build a robust island flavor to this stew. Enjoy this delicious, fragrant curry Carribean-style by pairing it with any combination of rice, plantains or roti.
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Directions
For the marinade and oxtails: Place the oxtails in a medium bowl. Squeeze the lemon juice over the oxtails and rub it in. Drain off the lemon juice and rinse the oxtails twice in cool water. Drain well. Sprinkle the oxtails with the curry powder, bouillon powder and salt.
Combine the onion, ginger, scallions, garlic, culantro and Scotch bonnet pepper, if using, in a blender. Add 1/3 cup of water and blend until pureéd. Pour the green purée onto the oxtails. Work the marinade into the meat with your hands. Add the oil and mix thoroughly. Add the pimento seeds. Transfer the marinade and oxtails to a gallon resealable bag and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
For the curry: Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat until hot. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the curry powder and cook, stirring constantly so the powder doesn’t burn, until the yellow powder turns brown and foams lightly with tiny bubbles, about 2 minutes. Add the onion, garlic and cumin seeds and cook, stirring, until the onion begins to become translucent, about 1 minute.
Add the marinated oxtails to the pot and stir to combine with the curry mixture. Stir in 3 cups water; you should have a soupy, greenish-brown mixture. Stir in the thyme and salt and cover the pot with a lid. Lower the heat to medium-low or until you have a low simmer. Simmer, checking and stirring the curry about every 30 minutes, until the sauce has thickened slightly, the oxtail is tender but not falling off the bone and a layer of oil forms on the surface, about 2 hours.
Stir the potatoes into the pot. Mix the beef base into 1/2 cup water and stir it into the pot. Continue to simmer until the potatoes are slightly soft, about 20 minutes. Add the red and yellow bell peppers and cook until the oxtails are very tender and almost falling off the bone and the potatoes are soft, 15 to 30 minutes more.
For a thicker curry sauce, mash about 4 potato pieces into the sauce and stir to combine. Taste the curry and add salt if needed. Serve with white rice, roti and/or plantains.
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