Hawaiian Oxtail Soup

Ingredients

• 2 pounds oxtails
• 1 strip dried orange peel
• 2 star anise
• 1 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, thinly sliced
• Salt, at least a tablespoon, more to taste
• 1/2 cup of shelled, skinned, raw peanuts
• 1/8 teaspoon chili pepper flakes, or more to taste
• A handful of fresh mustard greens, coarsely chopped
• Fresh cilantro, chopped
• Green onions, white and green parts, sliced on diagonal
• Freshly grated ginger

Directions

1. Fill a large 5-quart pot halfway with water and bring it to a boil. Add the oxtails and parboil them for 30 minutes, then pour off the water. Rinse the oxtails, and trim away any extra fat.
2. Put the oxtails back in the pot and add enough water to cover them by 1 inch. Stir in the orange peel, star anise, ginger, and salt. Bring everything to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer. Cover the pot and let it gently cook for 1 hour.
3. Add the peanuts to the pot and keep the soup at a simmer for 2-3 more hours, until the oxtail meat is very tender and pulling away from the bone.
4. Spoon the fat from the top of the soup, then continue with the recipe. Or, if you would rather make it easier on yourself, let the soup cool and refrigerate it overnight. The next day, the fat will be firm on top and simple to lift off. Letting the soup rest overnight also gives the flavors more time to settle into the oxtails.
5. Bring the soup back to a simmer. Add the chili pepper flakes and mustard greens, and cook for 5 more minutes, until the greens are tender.
6. Serve the soup with chopped fresh cilantro, green onions, and freshly grated ginger. If you like, pull the meat from the bones before serving; if you serve it bone-in, set out a bowl for the bones.