How to make Oxtail Soup

Why cooks start here

Oxtail Soup is cooked the way Indonesian soup stalls cooks it — salt judged by hand, fat used generously, and the table set for sharing. This is the home version, written down the way a indonesian family cook actually puts it on the table.

Oxtail Soup, or 'Sop Buntut' as it's known locally, is a beloved comfort food found steaming away in Indonesian soup stalls, or 'warungs', across the archipelago. This version brings that street-side warmth right into your kitchen, crafted as any Indonesian family would, with a generous heart and hand-measured salt. It's a dish for any day, any meal, gathering friends and family around a shared table. The soup is a hearty embrace of tender oxtail, rich in flavor, with the freshness of tomatoes and the sweetness of onions. The broth, shimmering with fat, carries a deeply savory profile that invites you to savor each sip. Serve it hot, encouraging everyone to ladle generously, letting the flavors envelop them.