The plan to cook ox tongue with mushroom sauce went pffft! when my daughter Sam walked into the kitchen just as I was about to make the sauce and demanded why I wasn’t cooking lengua with corn. I told her to put the mushrooms back into the fridge and open a can of corn kernels instead. So, Christmas Eve dinner was this lengua with corn sauce, an updated version of a recipe originally posted in June 24, 2006.
The idea for both versions is the same — serving boiled ox tongue with a corn-based white sauce. But this new version omits the stage where the slices of ox tongue are individually pan fried in butter. And, unlike the older version, the sauce is made with a roux of butter and flour instead of simply thickening the sauce with a corn starch solution. Both procedures work well; choose which you think will yield the tastier dish (I prefer this new version) or which is easier for you to make, or both.
Ingredients
- To cook the ox tongue:1 ox tongue (about 1-1/2 kg.)
1 whole onion
1 whole garlic
1 tbsp. of peppercorns
a bay leafTo make the sauce:1/2 c. of butter
1/2 c. of all-purpose flour
1 can of corn kernels, drained (reserve the liquid though)
3 c. of ox tongue broth mixed with the corn water
1 c. of cream (you may opt to use skim or full cream milk)
salt
pepperTo assemble the dish:
8 to 10 c. of mashed potatoes (click here or here for a guide)
browned onion slices
Instructions
- Thaw and wash the ox tongue. Wash in vinegar to remove the sliminess. Rinse. Place in a large cooking pan and cover with water. Add the whole garlic, whole onion, peppercorns, bay leaf and some salt. Bring to a boil, remove the scum as it rises, lower the heat and simmer until tender. It usually takes at least four hours to cook ox tongue, sometimes longer. With a pressure cooker, it takes about two hours and fifteen minutes from the moment the valve starts to turn.When the ox tongue is tender, lift it out of the broth and cool. Strain the broth and cool, then chill to remove any fat the hardens on the surface.When the ox tongue has cooled, chill for a few hours to make slicing easier. Chilled meat, even when very tender does not crumble easily when cut. Peel off the outer skin (if the skin does not come off easily, the ox tongue hasn’t been sufficiently cooked). Cut the ox tongue into half inch slices.Make the sauce.
Make a roux by melting half a cup of butter in a pan. Add half a cup of flour, all at once, and mix to prevent lumps from forming. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about five minutes or until lightly browned. Do not try to shorten the cooking time as flour needs to be thoroughly cooked to remove the chalky sensation in the mouth. Pour the broth-corn water mixture in a thin stream, stirring as you pour, until the sauce thickens. If the sauce appears too think at this point, don’t panic because you will still be adding milk. Throw in the corn kernels and ox tongue slices and cook just until heated through. Pour in the milk, stir, season with salt and pepper and heat just until it is about to boil. Turn off the heat.
Slice two large onions very, very thinly. If you have a mandolin, use it.
Melt about 1/4 cup of butter in a frying pan. Add the onion slices and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until nicely browned.
To assemble, place about three quarters of a cup of mashed potatoes on a plate and flatten a bit with the back of a spoon. Lay a piece or two of ox tongue on top of the mashed potatoes. Pour some of the sauce on the tongue and around the mashed potatoes. Top with browned onion slices and serve at once.
Cooking time (duration):about 5 hours
Number of servings (yield): 8 to 10
Click the link to page three below for the 2006 version of this recipe.
This looks absolutely lovely
My grandma used to make tongue all the time.
Everyone in my family loves lengua. It’s really just the amount of time needed to make it tender that’s a real bummer.
my daughter loves lengua though i don’t think i have the skill to cook it the way she wants it. she loves focaccia too. we buy focaccia bread during (sidcor) market one sunday marketing at the lung center of the phils.
we get grilled tuna and maya-maya ulo as well for our sinigang.
ooohh, fish head for sinigang is soooo good.
I love lengua though haven’t tasted it with corn before. Will try it at home.
Please email me any kind of new and old recipes you have. Thanks:smile:
Hi Connie! I tried out your Baked Macaroni recipe for Noche Buena and it turned out great! The hubby and I loved the cream-cheesy topping! Now, I’ve been trying to look for a recipe for lengua – a cross between the original estofado recipe and something with a red wine-y semi-sweet sauce. I remember eating that kind of dish at Sulo Hotel back when I was in grade school. If you have anything similar, please do share. I’m thinking of experimenting, but I’m a little afraid to waste my lovely lengua
I have two and I am getting ready to use your Lengua with Mushroom Sauce recipe right now … for Christmas lunch!! Yum! Thanks! I appreciate your fab site!
Hi! this is my family’s most favorite recipe. I’m glad you published how to cook it. I’m new at cooking and i want to try out new stuff. This will definitely be my next endevour. I just wanna ask if you can translate peppercorn and bay leaf in tagalog coz’ i think i’ll have a hard time buying it if i use this term. thanks. God Bless.
peppercorn and bay leaf = laurel na may pamintang buo? yung kalimitang ginagamit sa adobo?
is it right ms. connie?
Yes, that’s it!
Oooohhh! I love lengua! I think I’m gonna try this. Miss Connie, I love your site!
Hi Connie! I’ve been an ardent follower of your recipes/websites for such a long time. You inspire me to be creative and try new recipes that I can serve to my family. I really love eating Ox tongue but can’t seem to have the guts to cook it. I will definitely try this recipe for our Media Noche this coming 31st. Happy Holidays!
Hi Ms Connie,
Can i use pressure cooker for the ox tongue? If yes, how many minutes? thanks.
I wish you’d read through the entire recipe. The answer to your question is already there.
hi! you mentioned pressure cooking ox tongue for about 2 hours and fifteen minutes. i have read from other sites doing it for about 30 minutes. i have not yet tried any. what could you say regarding this?
Ox tongue needs at least 4 hours of regular cooking time. Pressure cooking means 1/2 of that time.
Hi connie, where do you lengua?
What do you mean…
Haha! I guess jean meant “Where do you BUY lengua?” means funny when you forgot just a word…
Lengua with bread was just how Hizon’s used to serve it way, way back…
The four hours cooking time? Worth every second of this truly ‘food of the gods’ dish!
Thanks so much for sharing, Connie!
If ox tongue weren’t so expensive, my daughter would love to have it every other day.
Hi Ms. Connie!
your dishes make me drool! 
I am a lazy cook but after seeing your blog, you inspire me to become a great chef! 
hehe! 
thank you so much for sharing your recipes! 
God bless! 
Can i use a different meat, instead of ox tongue, cause my children do not eat lengua…if so what would be a good cut of meat? chuck, sirloin etc? please advise thank you
You can use beef or pork, roast whole slabs, slice…
thank you Connie…i will make this for Mother’s day..happy mother’s day to you also. Love your website..please don’t ever stop giving us good recipes
The day I stop posting recipes will be the day we stop eating hehehehe It’ll never happen.
Love Lengua……
Thanks for the tip Connie..
hi connie,just wanna ask what kind of cream did you use for this recipe?..
i’m one of your avid follower since 2009 and who always falls in love with your recipes..:) your recipe tastes like diamonds!always a winnner!
thanks a lot for sharing your cooking talent with us and may the good Lord bless your heart and your family always..:0)
Hi Anna
Please click this link — that will be more helpful than a simple answer from me.
Thanks a lot Connie…:))
Your site is really a great help..More power and God bless..:0)