Name: Valle del Cauca Oxtail Sancocho with Green Plantain and Cassava
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 2 h 30 min
Total time: 3 h 5 min
Cuisine: Colombian
Ingredients: 3400 ml water; 1400 g meaty beef oxtail pieces, cut by the butcher at the joints; 120 g scallions (long onion), tied in a bundle; 10 g fine salt, divided and adjusted to taste; 4 large green cooking plantains, about 1000 g peeled, broken by hand into 5 cm pieces; 500 g fresh sweet cassava (yuca), peeled, woody core removed if present, cut into 5 cm pieces; 250 g firm winter squash, scrubbed and cut into 4 cm pieces with peel if edible; 2 tender corn ears (choclos), husked and cut into 4 pieces each; 8 g garlic (2 cloves), crushed; 5 g fresh cimarrón or culantro leaves; 2 g ground cumin; 1 g ground black pepper; 8 g fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped; White rice, optional accompaniment; Ají pique and lime or sour orange wedges, optional; Ripe avocado or ripe banana, optional accompaniment

Sancocho de cola with meaty beef oxtail, green plantain, cassava, squash and corn in a rustic bowl.

Region Valle del Cauca, Colombia’s Andean region

Dish Sancocho de cola

Yield 8 generous servings

Active preparation 35 minutes

Cooking time About 2 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients ↓

Overview

Valle del Cauca Oxtail Sancocho with Green Plantain and Cassava

Sancocho de cola is a Valle del Cauca beef soup built around meaty oxtail bones. The Colombian Ministry of Culture inventory lists green plantain, yuca, squash, young corn, garlic, cimarrón and cilantro, and points to a recipe in the Gran Libro de la Cocina Colombiana. That book gives a measured household version and a staged cooking order.

This recipe adapts the documented 8–10-serving formula to eight generous portions and metric weights. Oxtail and tied scallions first simmer until the meat softens; green plantain goes in next, followed by cassava and seasonings, then squash, corn and cimarrón. The order gives the oxtail time to become tender while keeping the vegetables recognizable.

Oxtail releases gelatin and fat as it cooks, giving the broth a rich mouthfeel. Skim surface fat if you prefer a lighter bowl; the cookbook also describes serving the rendered fat separately with cassava. This is one documented Valle del Cauca version, not the only way families prepare sancocho. Serve the broth with the cooked ingredients, or present them separately as the source suggests.

Ingredients

Oxtail broth

3400 ml water
1400 g meaty beef oxtail pieces, cut by the butcher at the joints
120 g scallions (long onion), tied in a bundle
10 g fine salt, divided and adjusted to taste

Vegetables and aromatics

4 large green cooking plantains, about 1000 g peeled, broken by hand into 5 cm pieces
500 g fresh sweet cassava (yuca), peeled, woody core removed if present, cut into 5 cm pieces
250 g firm winter squash, scrubbed and cut into 4 cm pieces with peel if edible
2 tender corn ears (choclos), husked and cut into 4 pieces each
8 g garlic (2 cloves), crushed
5 g fresh cimarrón or culantro leaves
2 g ground cumin
1 g ground black pepper

Finish and serve

8 g fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
White rice, optional accompaniment
Ají pique and lime or sour orange wedges, optional
Ripe avocado or ripe banana, optional accompaniment

Method

Start the oxtail broth. Put the oxtail, water and tied scallions in a heavy pot. Bring to a boil, skim the surface, then cover and reduce to a steady simmer. Cook for about 90 minutes, checking from 75 minutes onward. The meat should be tender enough to pull from the bone with a fork; larger pieces may need longer. Check that a thick meaty piece reaches at least 70°C, then continue simmering until fork-tender. Add hot water if needed to keep the oxtail mostly submerged. Lift out the scallion bundle.
Simmer the green plantain. Peel the plantains just before adding them so the cut surfaces stay fresh. Break them by hand into pieces about 5 cm long and add to the broth. Simmer for about 25 minutes. Keep the pot at a lively but controlled boil, turning the pieces gently once so they cook evenly without breaking apart.
Add cassava and seasoning. Add the peeled cassava, crushed garlic, cumin, pepper and about half the salt. Simmer for 10 minutes. Taste the broth before adding more salt; oxtail and evaporation can concentrate its flavour. If the cassava pieces are unusually large, give them a few extra minutes before adding the next vegetables.
Finish with squash, corn and cimarrón. Add the squash and corn, then tuck the cimarrón leaves into the broth. Lower the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for about 15 minutes, until the cassava is soft through the centre, the squash yields to a fork and the corn is tender. Avoid vigorous stirring, which can break the plantain and squash.
Garnish and serve. Remove any loose bone fragments and skim excess fat if desired. Stir in the chopped cilantro. Serve in deep bowls with broth and solids together, or bring the broth and cooked oxtail, cassava, squash and corn to the table separately. Offer rice, ají, citrus, avocado or ripe banana as optional accompaniments.

Practical guidance

Practical

Nutrition per serving

Approximate estimate based on measured ingredients and generic USDA FoodData Central composition proxies. It assumes a moderate edible meat yield from bone-in oxtail and that some surface fat is skimmed. Oxtail bone and fat proportions vary considerably, and salt is adjusted to taste, so actual calories, fat and sodium can differ. Optional sides are excluded; this is not a laboratory analysis.

Equipment

Use a heavy pot of at least 8 litres with a lid, a sharp knife, cutting board, ladle and food thermometer. A pot with room above the liquid helps prevent boilovers during the long first simmer. Tie the scallions into a bundle for easy removal. Keep raw oxtail and its utensils separate from washed produce and ready-to-eat foods.

Practical guidance

Ask the butcher to cut the oxtail at its joints; this makes the pieces easier to portion and avoids trying to cut through bone at home. Meaty pieces give a better balance of meat and broth. If the oxtail has a thick outer layer of fat, trim only the heaviest excess before cooking. After the first simmer, let the pot stand briefly and skim surface fat with a spoon or ladle. Keep some if you enjoy a richer broth. Use sweet edible cassava intended for cooking. Peel it thoroughly, remove any woody core and cook it until soft throughout; do not use bitter cassava unless it has been processed appropriately. Scrub the squash rind before cutting, and leave the peel only when it is tender and edible. Wash the plantain, cassava, squash, corn, scallions, herbs, citrus and avocado under clean running water. Check packaged ají for allergens. Cool leftovers in shallow containers and refrigerate within two hours. Keep refrigerated for 3–4 days or freeze. Reheat throughout to 74°C, adding a little water if the broth has thickened. The optional rice, ají, citrus, avocado and ripe banana are not included in the nutrition estimate.

Final notes

For a lighter broth: Skim surface fat after the oxtail has simmered, and keep the removed fat separate. For intact vegetables: Add each vegetable at its stated stage and stir gently once it begins to soften.

Nutrition per serving

Serving size: 1 of 8 portions, including broth and vegetables; optional sides excluded
Energy: 500 kcal
Carbohydrate: 57 g
Protein: 27 g
Fat: 20 g
Fibre: 8 g
Sodium: About 850 mg

Valle del Cauca Oxtail Sancocho with Green Plantain and Cassava

Ingredients

Oxtail broth

Vegetables and aromatics

Finish and serve

Method

Practical

Nutrition per serving

Equipment

Practical guidance

Final notes

Nutrition per serving

Colombian National Dishes

Atlántico Guandú Bean Sancocho with Beef Ribs, Ripe Plantain and Cassava

Colombian Goat Sancocho from Cesar with Plantain, Yuca and Regional Roots

Sancocho trifásico from San Estanislao with Pork, Chicken and Roots