You must be wondering why I am sharing the cow tongue cleaning procedure with you today of all things? Well, I went to my butchers at the abattoir recently and I saw a pile of tongues on the side.
People were coming in their numbers to buy every other thing but the tongue and some offal on the show. It then occurred to me that people don’t buy them because of how tedious it is to clean it.
Trust me, it can be very tricky cleaning cow tongue but I have found a way of doing it without wasting my gas and precious time.
Growing up and I am sure many Nigerians/Africans reading this will testify to it, our parents don’t dilly dally in the kitchen and yet they come up with the best of the best. Where am I going here? lol, I can’t cook it for over an hour or two because I want to clean it.
Cow tongue is very tasty and juicy, you can use it in any meal, many Nigerian soups, sandwiches and it works perfectly on its own as well. No matter how long you decide to cook it for, the taste can never be compromised unlike some other parts of beef.
Cleaning cow tongue can take between 20 minutes to 4 hours. I choose the first. I haven’t got all day to spend in the kitchen, please.
Note: Cut it into a steak to make it easier to clean
What you need
Cow tongue (obviously lol)
Hot Water
1tsp Salt
How to clean cow tongue
Add cow tongue, salt and hot water to a bowl, place on medium heat and cook for 15 minutes.
The outer layer would toughen once it's in the water do not fret
Take it out of the hot water and peel the white thick layer off the tongue.
Now truth be told some of the white tough skin can be stubborn to peel, like in the image below simply get a sharp knife and scrape till clean. Repeat this process until you have exhausted the tongue steak.
Place the cleaned tongue in a bowl and rinse till clean.
It is now ready to use but not ready to eat. Cleaned cow tongue can be placed in the freezer for up to 3 months. Use up as desired
How to cook cow tongue
Cut the washed tongue into steaks. This allows it to cook quicker
Place in a pan, add enough water to cover the tongue. (Now, this is my go-to way to cook beef) I usually season with salt, beef or chicken bouillon cubes and onions.
If you don't want to use bouillon cube, feel free to use fresh herbs like parsley, chives, spring onions etc. but ensure you add salt and onion. Other options to consider are ginger, garlic, bay leaves and the likes
Cook the tongue on low-medium heat for another 30 minutes or until meat is tender enough to your liking.
Don't forget to leave some feedback for me when you try this tricky yet easy cow tongue cleaning procedure. #myactivekitchen on Instagram. Thank you for stopping by and see you in my next post.
How To Clean Cow Tongue And How To Cook It
Ingredients
- 1 Cow tongue
- Hot Water
- 2 tsp Salt
Instructions
How to clean cow tongue
- Add cow tongue, salt and hot water to a bowl, place on medium heat and cook for 15 minutes. The outer layer would toughen once it's in the water do not fret
- Take it out of the hot water and peel the white thick layer off the tongue.
- Now truth be told some of the white tough skin can be stubborn to peel, like in the image below simply get a sharp knife and scrape till clean. Repeat this process until you have exhausted the tongue steak.
- Place the cleaned tongue in a bowl and rinse till clean.
- It is now ready to use but not ready to eat. Cleaned cow tongue can be placed in the freezer for up to 3 months. Use up as desired
How to cook cow tongue
- Cut the washed tongue into steaks. This allows it to cook quicker.
- Place in a pan, add enough water to cover the tongue. (Now, this is my go-to way to cook beef) I usually season with salt, beef or chicken bouillon cubes and onions.
- If you don't want to use bouillon cube, feel free to use fresh herbs like parsley, chives, spring onions etc. but ensure you add salt and onion. Other options to consider are ginger, garlic, bay leaves and the likes
- Cook the tongue on low-medium heat for another 30 minutes or until meat is tender enough to your liking.
Notes
- Cleaned cow tongue can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- store cooked cow tongue in the fridge for up 3 days in an airtight container and up to 1 month in the freezer.
i have 8 cow tongues cooked an cleaned i want to know how to can them or if they can be caned.
What a great post! I learned to cook tongue in a slow cooker with onions, celery, carrots if I have them, salt and pepper. Take it out and peel the skin off. I cut it up and brown it in a skillet with some onions and make a beef gravy with it. I serve it on top of buttery mashed potatoes. I tell people it's beef tips and gravy. People are finicky when they hear "tongue" but it's the best roast you can make. My new recipe I'll try with it is Shepherd's Pie.
What if i forgot to wash tongue off before o cooked it? Can i still eat it once its done?
you can peel the white bits off the tongue or cut it out before eating.
I’m from the south, Louisiana, my mother cook tongue. I did learn to boil the tongue for easier cleaning, we stuffed it with garlic and seasonings. Make a great rusty gravy over rice. Yum.
that sounds great. I should try it out too.
Really good food. pls i needthe recipe for palm nut soup.
Thanks Micheal, kindly search the blog for banga soup.