If you prefer the ox tongue (lengua) dish with mushroom sauce, you can click here and here. Personally, I am so tired of that recipe and that’s the reason I started experimenting. I was aiming for something not too different from the one with mushroom sauce because that’s the favorite of my daughter, Sam.
I sliced a cooked ox tongue then divided the meat into two unequal portions. The larger portion we had for dinner the other night. Served a la Chinese style cold meat, we ate the ox tongue slices with a dipping sauce made with a mixture of soy sauce and hoisin sauce. The smaller portion became the ox tongue with gravy dish that you see in the photo and which went into the kids’ lunch boxes yesterday.
Why is lengua considered a special dish? It’s not everyday that you’ll find it on the dining table of the average Filipino family. Not that it’s not widely available. It is, actually. But it is a prized meat cut usually reserved for parties.
One reason is the cost. But that’s really relative because there are cuts of beef that are more expensive that ox tongue and they are used for rather common dishes.
Another reason is the cooking time. Ooohh, it just takes forever to simmer ox tongue to the desired tenderness. On the average, it takes four to five hours; twice as fast if you have a pressure cooker.
Then, there’s the preparation. Cut the ox tongue while still hot and you’ll end up shredding instead of slicing it. It is best to cool the ox tongue first after peeling off the thick skin, chill it if you have the time, and then cut it into slices of uniform thickness. Only then can you mix it with whatever sauce you prefer — white, red, brown…
So, if you’ve boiled the ox tongue, peeled off the skin, chilled and sliced the meat, you’re ready to serve it with gravy.
But, first, a tip. For best results, simmer in the ox tongue in salted water and throw in a whole garlic, onion, bay leaf and peppercorns. A bunch of leeks would be great too. Not only do herbs, spices and vegetables add body to the flavor of the ox tongue, they give the broth a rich color too. And since you’re going to use some of the broth to make the gravy, you really ought to make sure that it is tasty.
While cooling the ox tongue, cool the broth as well. Strain — twice if necessary — and cool. Chill. Fat will harden on the surface after a few hours. Remove the hardened fat and discard. If you’ve wondered why some lengua dishes form “sebo”, it is likely because the fat was not removed from the broth before it was used for making the sauce. There’s just no express lane when it comes to cooking ox tongue. Time and patience are necessary.
So, you have your sliced ox tongue and broth sans fat. You’re ready to complete the dish.
Heat about three tablespoonfuls of butter in a skillet. Brown the ox tongue slices in batches. Flip them over halfway through the process to brown both sides. Add more butter to the skillet with every batch of ox tongue slices. As the ox tongue slices brown, remove them from the skillet and arrange on a serving platter. Keep them warm (inside the oven is a good place) while you make the gravy.
Add more butter to the skillet so that you have about four tablespoonfuls in there. Add four tablespoonfuls of flour all at once and stir well.1 Over medium heat, cook the flour in the butter until golden, about four to five minutes. Pour in the broth (warmed to room temperature) a little at a time, stirring as you pour. Stop when you reach the consistency you prefer. Some people like their gravy really thick; other’s don’t. Simmer for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat, season with salt and pepper, and add whatever aromatics and herbs you like.2
Pour the gravy over the browned ox tongue slices and serve.
This little experiment will probably turn up in one of the many potluck and family dinners over the Christmas holidays.
Notes:
1Since the gravy I made was meant to go with less than half of a whole ox tongue, you will need to double or triple the ingredients to make enough gravy to serve with a whole ox tongue.
2Finely minced garlic is really great.
Ah lengua. This used to be a regular during special occasions. Since my mom stopped cooking, we haven’t had this. I guess it’s my turn to try this. I dunno if the recipes of my mom are still around. However, it’s nice to know that there is a recipe i can always rely on at this site.
my lola taught me to boil the tongue, peel the thick skin before actually cooking it with the rest of the ingredients.
cooking ox tongue really takes a lot of patience but really worth it.
peterb, i can smell christmas already hehehe
rose z, oh my daughter Sam will definitely agree. Lengua is her absolute home-cooked dish.
Maybe removing the thick skin is a Filipino thing? I’ve had ox tongue here in Thailand, cooked either by a French or Chinese chef, always with the skin on. It was one of the dishes on the buffet spread, and I was the only one who ate it, yummy! Sometimes it’s cooked with red wine, other times with brown sauce, mushrooms, and garlic.
Once on a potluck, a Pinoy guest brought ox tongue cooked very similarly to callos, one Dutch guest gushed at how delicious it was. But he stopped eating when he learned which body part it was, hehehe.
I like the taste of lengua but the only problem is I have to cook low fat because my husband’s cholesterol is above normal. I’m surprised that the tongue has so much fat though, I thought it’s pure muscle.