Ox Tongue (Lengua) in Mushroom Sauce
June 11, 2003
Filed under Asia & beyond, Mighty meaty
Ox tongue in mushroom sauce served with mashed potatoes topped with browned onion bits. It really sounds continental but, believe it or not, most Filipino cookbooks include a version of this dish. My father had his own version too. This is mine.
Because of its price in the Philippines, ox tongue is served mostly in expensive restaurants and hotels. When served with mushroom sauce, a few slices are arranged on the dinner plate and served with a scoop or two of mashed potatoes. Neither is it a dish commonly served at home because of the extensive cooking time it requires. But that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy it…
First of all, you don’t have to do everything all the same time. The mashed potatoes, for instance, can be prepared hours earlier and kept in the fridge. While simmering the ox tongue, do other things… read, go online, watch TV, sleep, do the laundry, clean the house… four hours is a long time. No reason to just sit and wait for the meat to cook. When I cook this dish, I prepare the mashed potatoes and cook the tongue in the morning. Then, I cool the tongue on a plate, remove the skin, cover it with cling wrap and let it sit in the fridge until it’s time to prepare dinner. The cooler the tongue, the easier it is to slice. If you slice it while still warm, the meat will disintegrate and your cooked dish will look terrible. Besides, you can’t brown the sliced tongue in butter unless it is cold and firm.
As to the mashed potatoes, the idea of mixing in the skin was something I picked up over a luncheon buffet at a local steak restaurant. I figured, why not? Aren’t most of the nutrients of the potato supposed to be in the skin? I had to sound off my kids first, though. When the said sure!, I went ahead.
Now we go to the browned onion bits… what’s the idea? Well, bacon bits on mashed potatoes just means adding something salty to it. But sweet onion bits over suffiently salted mashed potatoes is something else. To achieve this blend, it is important to use white onions. Red onions won’t do the trick. It is the delicate sweetness of white onions that is just perfect for this recipe. It is likewise important to add sufficient salt to the mashed potatoes.
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hi connie.. i was just surfing the net and chanced upon ur site.. very interesting and with a very personal touch.. i was just enjoying reading through ur stories as well as looking through ur recipes.. i was wondering if u could suggest any exceptional authentic filipino cookbook- a must have.. ive been based in spain for the past couple of years finishing my culinary studies and just realized how in dire need i am of a bible with regards to authentic filipino cuisine.. i am actually cebuano/spanish and have more background on spanish cuisine rather than filipino cuisine, and personally i think its a shame on my part.. i will leave it here and i hope u find time to reply.. appreciate it.. muchisimas gracias!
Hi cocinero, I suggest books written by the late Doreen Fernandez.
:razz:hello pls. send me a copy on how to cook it step by step pls. connie its my nanay’s bday she want me to cook lengua but i dont know how to cook it pls. teach me how. god bless
i tried it! masarap sya
i added parmesan cheese 
it worked!!
its great its help me a lot,b coz my cousins want me to cook lengua for her birthyday. i think i can make it with your help…
its really great thank you and more power
Hungry.
Hello again Ms. Connie! I am thinking of preparing this dish but I’ll try to use pork tounge instead, may idea po ba kayo kung gaano ko katagal dapat palambutin ang pork tongue?
hello ? where can i buy ox tonque ?
Happy Joy, about an hour and a half.
Johnson, in the market.
Hi Connie, is it ok to cook the tongue in pressure cooker? para mas mabilis? I am working kaya I don’t have much time to prepare yet I want to cook delicious meals to my family. Thanks!
hello, its just a simple recipe and yet di mo pa tinaype ang procedure.dami mo pang satsat.try mong pumasok sa ibang website marami kang mapupulot na good recipes libreng libre.bakit tayong mga pinoy mga mukhang pera.are you trying to sell your recipe? no thank you.
francisca: BULAG! Satsat ka nang satsat, idilat mo nga yang mata mo at paandarin mo yang maliit mong utak.
gosh, so rude! why not just ask it in a nice way….to think that procedures are on page 2.
Thank you po sa recipe. I love this above all dishes! As in… tnx again.
hi! my MIL cooks lengua pero not with mushroom sauce. yung luto niya is red sauce. my husband loves it so much, i do too. the thing is she doesnt want to share her recipe! so im just wondering if you have by any chance yung lengua recipe na tomato sauce ang gamit. thanks!
There are as many versions of lengua with tomato sauce as there are cooks, kcaj.
Thanks for the recipe. I was searching for a mushroom sauce for the salisbury steak nasana gagawin ko. Ill try this recipe. thanks
Hi, can you please send me a step by step procedure on how to cook “Ox Tongue in Mushroom Sauce”.
i live in MD, USA and I havent had a good Lengua in years.
Thanks a lot.
hi
Can i use a portion of your photo?
I’d like to post a lengue recipe in mushroom sauce… quickie way!
thanks a lot.
No, Julia, you may NOT use any portion of the photo.
I’m going to try your recipe as the photo looks so good. Do you add the carrots, leeks, bayleaf, etc. to the tongue as you do the garlic? or do you add this to the water?
pls send me a copy of your recipe!i want to surprise my husband(works abroad) who is coming home very soon with something new…he loves this dish whenever we are in an occassion.help pls?thanks a lot
sick i wont eat it if u payed me
Sick, Abbie, you can even spell “paid.”