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Tender Harissa Oxtail with Lemon Rice and toasted Moroccan spices makes a deeply flavoured dinner worth making.
Harissa Oxtail with Lemon Rice pairs tender spiced beef with bright, buttery rice. A hearty dinner with plenty of flavour to discover.
Additional Information
- Can this be frozen? Yes. The cooked oxtail stew can be frozen, although the potatoes may soften slightly after thawing and reheating. For the best texture, freeze the oxtail and sauce separately from freshly cooked rice when possible. Cool the stew completely before freezing. Store it in airtight freezer containers, leaving a little room for expansion. Freeze for up to 3 months.
- How long can it be stored and how? Store leftover oxtail in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 4 days. Keep the rice refrigerated separately and use it within 3 to 4 days. Reheat the oxtail gently on the stovetop or in the microwave until piping hot throughout. Add a splash of water or beef stock if the sauce has thickened too much.
- For food safety, don’t leave cooked oxtail or rice sitting at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
Ingredient Substitutions
- Oxtail: Beef short ribs or beef chuck can be used instead, although the cooking time will vary.
- Harissa paste: Use another chili paste if harissa isn’t available. Start with less and increase it to taste.
- Coconut oil: Olive oil or another neutral cooking oil works perfectly well.
- Black cardamom: Regular green cardamom can be used, although it won’t give the same smoky flavour.
- Moroccan spice blend: Use a good ras el hanout blend if you have it. A mild Moroccan seasoning blend also works.
- Baby marrow: Zucchini is an easy substitute and can be added at the same point.
- Ghee: Butter or olive oil can be used for the lemon rice.
- Rice spice blend: A small amount of your favourite mild curry or rice seasoning can work if you don’t have a dedicated rice spice blend.
Fresh coriander: Fresh parsley is an easy alternative if coriander isn’t your thing.
A Few Extra Kitchen Notes
Oxtail can release quite a bit of fat during cooking. If your finished sauce seems overly rich, let the stew sit for a few minutes and skim some of the fat from the surface before serving.
For an even deeper flavour, make the oxtail a day ahead. Refrigerate it overnight, then remove the layer of solidified fat from the top before reheating. The sauce will also have more time to develop its flavour.
The lemon rice is best made fresh. That bright hit of lemon is exactly what the rich oxtail needs.
Why You Will Love and Enjoy Harissa Oxtail with Lemon Rice
- The toasted whole spices give the oxtail a deep, warm flavour without making the dish complicated.
- Harissa brings just enough chili heat to balance the rich, gelatinous oxtail.
- The bright lemon rice cuts through the richness and gives you something fresh with every bite.
Harissa Oxtail with Lemon Rice
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 90 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 55 minutes
- Yield: 6–8 servings depending on size 1x
- Category: Dinner Recipes
- Method: Easy Cooking
- Cuisine: Moroccan
Description
That jar of harissa in the fridge has a much bigger job than you think.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Harissa Oxtail
- 2.2 lb – 1 kg oxtail, trimmed
- 2 large onions, halved and thinly sliced
- 1 tsp fenugreek seeds
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 1 large black cardamom pod, lightly crushed
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tbsp harissa paste
- 1 tbsp garlic ginger paste
- 1 tbsp Moroccan spice blend
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 2 tomatoes, grated
- 4 potatoes, peeled and quartered
- 3 carrots, peeled and cut diagonally
- 5 baby marrows, cut into chunks
- 1 tbsp coconut oil, or enough for sautéing
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Fresh parsley or coriander, for serving
For the Lemon Rice
- 1 1/2 cups basmati rice
- 3 cups water
- 2 tbsp ghee
- 1 tsp rice spice blend
- 1 cardamom pod, cracked
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 cinnamon stick
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Salt, to taste
Instructions
Harissa Oxtail
- Place the 1 tsp fenugreek seeds, 1 tsp fennel seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds, and 1 tsp coriander seeds in a dry pan over medium heat.
- Toast for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring often, until fragrant. Don’t let them burn. Grind the toasted seeds to a coarse powder. You want some texture left, not a completely fine powder.
- Set your pressure cooker to sauté and add 1 tbsp coconut oil. Add the 2 large sliced onions, toasted ground spices, 1 large crushed black cardamom pod, 1 bay leaf, and 2 tbsp harissa paste. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring now and then, until the onions start to soften.
- Add the 1 kg trimmed oxtail and switch the pressure cooker to its browning or sauté setting. Brown the pieces well on as many sides as you can. You may need to do this in batches so the oxtail actually browns instead of steaming.
- Stir in 1 tbsp garlic ginger paste, 1 tbsp Moroccan spice blend, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp ground coriander and 1 tsp dried thyme. Cook for about 30 seconds, just until fragrant.
- Stir in the 2 grated tomatoes. Scrape the bottom of the pressure cooker well to loosen any browned bits. If your pressure cooker requires additional liquid to come to pressure, add about 1/2 cup water or beef stock.
- Secure the lid and cook on high pressure for 55 to 60 minutes.
- Once the cooking time is finished, allow the pressure to release naturally for about 15 minutes before carefully releasing any remaining pressure.
- Open the cooker and check that the oxtail is tender and starting to pull away from the bone. If it’s still firm, pressure cook for another 10 minutes. Oxtail can vary quite a bit in size, so this little check is worth doing.
- Add the 4 quartered potatoes, 3 diagonally cut carrots and 5 chunks of baby marrow.
- Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Seal the pressure cooker again and cook on high pressure for 5 minutes, then release the pressure quickly. This keeps the vegetables tender without turning them into mash.
- Taste the sauce and adjust the salt, pepper or harissa if needed. If the sauce is thinner than you’d like, use the sauté setting for a few minutes with the lid off and let it reduce slightly.
- Scatter over fresh parsley or coriander just before serving.
Lemon Rice
- Heat 2 tbsp ghee in a medium pot over medium heat.
- Add 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 cracked cardamom pod and 1 cinnamon stick. Cook for about 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add 1 1/2 cups basmati rice and 1 tsp rice spice blend.
- Stir and fry the rice for about 2 minutes, making sure every grain gets coated in the spiced ghee.
- Add 3 cups water and season with salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the water has been absorbed and the rice is tender, usually about 12 to 15 minutes.
- Remove the pot from the heat and let the rice stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff gently with a fork, then add the juice of 1 lemon and fold it through.
- Spoon the lemon rice onto plates and pile the tender Harissa Oxtail over the top. Finish with fresh parsley or coriander and plenty of that rich sauce.
Notes
Prepared, tried, and tested by Melanie
Recipe Card powered by
Oxtail doesn’t need a complicated ingredient list. It needs time, good spices, and a little attention.
Harissa Oxtail with Lemon Rice delivers tender oxtail, warm Moroccan spices, gentle chili heat and bright lemon in one satisfying meal. The rich sauce clings beautifully to the meat while fragrant lemon rice balances every bite, making this a dinner worth putting on the menu soon.
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