Oxtail with fresh green peppercorns

Serves 4

(Photograph by Jason Lowe)

This sort of braised oxtail au poivre is a much simpler version of one of Hieu's classics, using fresh green peppercorns, which are very common in Vietnamese cooking.

8-12 pieces of centre-cut oxtail, trimmed of fat
2 glasses of red wine
4 onions, peeled, halved and sliced
5 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
1tbsp olive oil
40-50 fresh (or canned) green peppercorns
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 litres beef stock

Marinade the oxtail in the wine overnight in a non-reactive bowl. Pre-heat the oven to 230C/gas mark 8. Remove the oxtail from the wine and dry on some kitchen paper. Place on a baking tray, season and roast for about 30 minutes, turning every so often until browned. Turn the oven down to 175C/gas mark 4.

Meanwhile, gently cook the onion and garlic in the olive oil for 2-3 minutes until soft and transfer to an ovenproof dish. Add the green peppercorns and place the beef on top. Pour the red wine and beef stock on top, season, cover and cook in the oven for about 2 hours or until tender. Remove the meat, skim off any fat and simmer the sauce until it's thickened.

Serve with boiled white rice or noodles and Asian greens.

To see Mark Hix's exclusive cookery videos, see http://www.independent.co.uk/hixcooks