Filipino Lengua, Tongue Stew

25. April 2006 Blood + Offal, Lamb + Veal 13

I returned to Chinatown and easily picked up tongue or lengua [leng-gwah]. I picked the veal’s tongue because, well, the pig’s tongue looked like a part of the male anatomy. There is another Spanish-influenced dish, lengua estofada, but I wanted a dish that was more appropriate for spring, so I decided to make something lighter. My mother watched me cook and gave me simple instructions from what she could remember from her aunt, my Apong.

When I unwrapped the tongue, this massive muscle was in front of me and I thought, How the hell do I peel the skin off? After boiling it for about an hour, the skin actually turned white. It looked like a small foot than a tongue! Peeling the skin off was as easy as taking off a sock. Weird, I know, but you’ll see what I mean when you try it.

Ingredients:
1 veal’s tongue, washed thoroughly with salt under cold running water
3 fresh green chili peppers
1 red onion, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 large tomatoes, halved and sliced
2 tbsps soy sauce
a handful of parsley, finely chopped
salt, pepper, olive oil

1. Simmer tongue in a large pot of water, about 1 hour. Remove from pot and let cool enough to handle. Peel skin from tongue and trim gristle. Cut into 1/4-inch slices.
2. In a large wok, sauté garlic and onions. Add chilis. Add tongue pieces and brown both sides. Stir in soy sauce and tomatoes and cook until soft. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes until tongue is tender. Season with salt to taste and sprinkle with parsley to serve.

Related post/s:
Offal in Filipino cooking
Where to buy veal’s tongue


13 thoughts on “Filipino Lengua, Tongue Stew”

  • 1
    eat matters on April 26, 2006

    thanks for hosting LP 9.
    good round up as well

  • 2
    sha on April 26, 2006

    hey thanks for hosting.had i been home i could have”attacked” the wetmarket in athens… but anyway just to let u know great round up and we are off to portofino… italy

  • 3
    heidiologies on April 26, 2006

    when you finally decide to open yr own restaurant, can i be a (silent) partner?

  • 4
    relly on April 28, 2006

    hello cia, i said to join but i am sorry i did’nt follow the deadline… thought it is the end of the month.. but i will still post my photo on my blog.

  • 5
    Kai on April 28, 2006

    Great round-up Cia. Very nice theme.

    Thanks for your recipes. But it looks like you did not pre-boil the tripe and veal foot before cooking them. Tripe and all parts from the pata downwards should be boiled with salt and onions, the water discarded, then boiled again, until the smell is gone. Then that’s the only time you start cooking.

  • 6
    iska on April 28, 2006

    great round-up cia! i just hope i know where to buy ingredients in beijing so i can do those other offal dishes shown here…

  • 7
    JMom on April 28, 2006

    Great round-up, Cia. Thanks again for hosting this round of LP.

  • 8
    Lani on May 3, 2006

    Thanks for hosting LP9, Cia. Well, sorry for my late entry (hehehe).

  • 9
    Lyn on May 10, 2006

    Wow, I just surfing I come up this nice, delicious site….make me soooooo craving and more homesick…..this part, good part lol bec. what I homesick is food. good post here…keep up the good work. TC

  • 10
    lisa on November 22, 2006

    nasty, gross ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww that is the mosyt natiest thing i have ever saw

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