Beef tongue has got to be one of the most underrated cuts of beef. It’s incredibly rich in flavor and also soft and melts in your mouth like wagyu beef. For some people, the texture can be off-putting but I believe that’s because they know they are eating tongue. I would urge everyone to give this stir fry beef tongue a chance!
Where to find beef tongue?
I get my beef tongue from the Asian grocery store. It comes frozen and sealed and looks like it does in the picture below. I will defrost it in the fridge over two days. As you can see, the tongue has a rough upper texture and can be seen as a layer of skin. If this makes you uncomfortable, just remember that we will be removing it after we cook it.
What does beef tongue taste like?
Beef tongue is actually extremely fatty which is what gives it such a great soft texture when cooked. What we want to do is braise it in hot water for 4 hours which will make it extremely tender as well. The texture is springy and soft while the flavor tastes very similar to regular beef cuts.
Aromatics in braising liquid for stir fry beef tongue
You can really add any type of aromatics you want in the braising liquid. I went with some star anise, orange peel, and bay leaves. Some other popular options include cinnamon, cardamom, and peppercorns,
Important steps for stir fry beef tongue
Remove skin: It is very important to remove the skin from the tongue after braising. The skin is an outer layer that can get quite tough to eat.
Cut tongue into cubes: After removing the skin, you will want to cut the tongue into smaller cubes which can be stir fried easily.
Hot pan: Using a hot pan is absolutely key to get a good sear and color.
Stir Fry Beef Tongue
Ingredients
- 1 beef tongue
- 4 L water
- 1 tbsp salt
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 dried orange peel
- 3 star anise
- 2 bay leaves
- 8 cloves garlic
- 1 cup oil
- 1 birds eye chili
- 2 stalks scallions
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp white pepper
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Into a large pot, bring water up to a boil. Add salt, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, orange peel, star anise, and bay leaves.4 L water, 1 tbsp salt, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp dark soy sauce, 1 dried orange peel, 3 star anise, 2 bay leaves
- Add beef tongue into the pot and leave it covered to simmer for 4 hours.1 beef tongue
- Using a mandolin, thinly shave garlic.8 cloves garlic
- Add garlic into oil and heat up over medium heat while mixing until golden brown then strain and set aside.1 cup oil
- After 4 hours, your beef tongue should be extremely tender.
- Remove the outer layer of skin.
- Chop it up into smaller cubes.
- Sear on a hot cast iron pan then add chopped chili, scallions, most of the garlic chips, soy sauce, white pepper, and lemon juice.1 birds eye chili, 2 stalks scallions, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp white pepper, 1 tbsp lemon juice
- Garnish with more scallions and garlic chips and enjoy.
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