Corned Beef Tongue – Salted Ox Tongue

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4.72 out of 5 Stars by 7 readers!

So the East Indians of Bombay in India (or should I say Mumbai?) eat tongue as a delicacy for parties and events and birthdays and weddings, and for any other reason we can find to eat it. It’s yummy! Anyways, apart from the regular beef tongue roast recipe, there’s also the corned tongue or salted tongue that everyone loves. So here’s how to make this awesome offal dish from a disappearing culture!

ingredients for The Special Salted Beef Tongue or Corned Beef Tongue?

The Ingredients we use for corned tongue are:
1 large beef tongue or 2 small tongues – approximately 1.5 kg
(*Note – for this test we used four – with only saltpetre and 2 with saltpetre and khair)
1 tbsp saltpetre or saltpeter (Or the more modern curing salt)
juice of 2 sourlimes or 5 tbsp vinegar
10 cloves – Optional
10 peppercorns – Optional
2 sticks cinnamon – Optional
1 tablespoon Khat powder (Khair Tree bark powder) – Optional

Two small raw ox tongues in a steel pot.
Two small ox tongues

It’s better to buy the tongue skinned since skinning it without losing the flesh takes a bit of a learning curve. Or if you want, take a sharp knife, hold the tongue vertically, create a slit in the skin, and pull down towards the ground to take off strips at a time.

Once the tongue is ready, wash it and put it in a large steel or clay pot or a glass dish. Prick the beef tongue all over with a fork or a slim knife. Next, rub in the saltpeter and leave aside for a few hours. If you have access to it, curing salt is a better option than saltpetre. Plus it’s USDA approved.

Also, if you want the tongue to get pinker, add more saltpetre. We don’t do that, because remember, saltpeter is still a chemical. Potassium Nitrate or saltpeter was once used with abundance by cooks and other people handling meat to retain the pink color.

In modern times though, Sodium Nitrate has replaced Potassium Nitrate. And maybe one-day Sodium Nitrate won’t be used either. Most people use a mix of curing salts that are Food Safety approved curing salts.

And anyway, why add more chemicals to food? The pink color is no test of quality. So use less of saltpetre and the tongue still tastes as yummy as ever!

Why use curing salt or Saltpetre?

But if you’re wondering exactly why we still continue to use saltpeter or curing salts in the tongue, it’s because we want to live. Simple as that!

Saltpetre or curing salts prevent the growth of clostridium botulinum bacteria. These clostridium bacteria usually grow in meat and cause botulism in the form of weakness, fatigue, paralysis and more. And nope, we don’t want to die, nor do we want to get our loved ones to get sick. So following centuries-old traditions and the work of scientists everywhere, we will continue to use curing salts or saltpetre while curing tongue or corning tongue.

Tongue in a steel pot with sea salt on it.
Add salt to the tongue and rub well

Then make a mixture of the salt and lime juice along with the other optional ingredients, rub it on the tongue and leave it aside for 4 to 5 days.

Lemon juice and spices added to the raw tongue.
Add lemon juice khat and spices

You know, the longer it marinades, the softer the tongue gets. If the weather is cool enough, you don’t have to refrigerate it. (Just as a side note, if you use too much sour lime the tongue gets really stringy like above.)

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Anyways, we did a test to check the difference between using khat or not using khat in our tongue. Khat is the bark of the khair tree that’s traditionally used in India to give meat its pink color. Khair is the Senegalia catechu tree that’s found in Southern Asia and South East Asia and often called catechu, kher, cachou, or black cutch.

Poking the tongue with a fork so that it absorbs the lime juice and salt petre.
Poke the tongues with a fork!

So to test, we had 4 different tongues. Two using khat or khair tree bark and two without them. All the other ingredients were the same.

Every day, you can turn the tongues over to make sure the juices are absorbed in those tongues. Or you can just forget about the tongue and go find it on the last day. No matter how you do it, this traditional method of curing beef tongue gives us some really tasty tongue.

On the nth day, be it the 2nd day or 4th or 5th or 7th day, put the tongue in a pressure cooker and add sufficient water to cover it. Once the cooker reaches full pressure, cook the tongue for about an hour.

Now here’s tongue one that has the khat in it. Chop it up into slices and it’s ready to serve. Or use in sandwiches.

Cooked tongue on a chopping board.
Tongue 1 with khat after cooking
Beef tongue being sliced into pieces.
Slice tongue 1 into pieces
Slices of ox tongue on a chopping board.
And there you have ox tongue 1 all sliced up

And here’s tongue 2 that doesn’t have to khat or Khair tree bark in it. Slice it up!

Partially sliced tongue on a chopping board with a knife.
Slicing tongue made without khat
Sliced tongue on a blue chopping board next to a knife.
Tongue 2 without khat all sliced up

If you look at it, it’s as pink or even more so naturally pink than the tongue with the khat powder. So maybe, the khat is not that useful. Anyways, we make corned tongue without khat most of the time, though some of our relatives still used khat!

I would have also told you the story of the relatives that thought khat or saltpeter was the same as MSG. But I’m a good niece, so I won’t!

Here’s another ox tongue from a different week that was made drier and sliced finer. You can use a lot of different variations while corning the tongue. It just depends on your preference.

Slices of Corned tongue on a blue cutting board.
Yummy and pink!
Cut slices of corned tongue on a blue board.
Sliced corned tongue
Sliced corned tongue on a blue board.
Sliced ox tongue

Did I mention, instead of a regular knife, it’s better to use a good carving knife or a sharp knife to slice the tongue into finer slices and serve?

Corned tongue slices on a bed of lettuce with a bowl of green chutney.

East Indian Corned Tongue (Salted Ox Tongue)

Abby
The East Indian recipe for corned tongue or salted tongue takes a few days but is delicious and perfect for many dinners and sandwiches.
4.72 out of 5 Stars by 7 readers!

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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Marinating Time 7 days
Total Time 7 days 1 hour 5 minutes
Course Dinner, Lunch, Snacks
Cuisine East Indian
Servings 8 Servings
Calories 11 kcal
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Ingredients
  

  • 1 Beef Tongue Use 1 Large Tongue circa 1.2 to 1.5 kg Or 2 Small Tongues circa 600 to 700 grams
  • 1 Tablespoon Salt Petre (Saltpeter) Or 0.5 tsp Curing Salt
  • 2 Sourlimes (Juice) Or 5 Tbsp Vinegar
  • 10 Cloves (Lavang) Optional
  • 10 Black Peppercorns Optional
  • 2 sticks Cinnamon Sticks (Dalchini)
  • 1 Tablespoon Khat Powder Optional (Khair Tree or Catechu Powder)

Instructions
 

  • Skin your tongue. (We get ours skinned by the butcher.)
  • Put your tongues in a clay, glass or stainless steel pot and prick them all over with a fork.
  • Rub in the saltpetre (or curing salt) and leave aside for 3 to 4 hours.
  • After 4 hours, make a mixture of salt and lime juice and rub it on the tongue. Also add in the peppercorns, cinnamon and cloves. Add khat (cathechu powder) if you want to (We don't find it necessary).
  • Leave the tongue aside for 2 to 7 days. Or if you want, turn it over everyday and prick it with the fork so more of the juices get absorbed.
  • After 2 to 7 days (depending on how long you can wait), put the tongue in a pressure cooker, cover it with water, and cook for 1 hour.
  • After cooking, cut the tongue into slices and serve!
  • Use it as a side dish or serve it in sandwiches.

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Notes

  • Serve the tongue as a side dish with anything. It’ll also go perfect with moong dal or masoor dal and chapatis, puris, or rice.
  • Or just cut into slices and make a sandwich with lettuce and mayo. Delicious!
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Stuff You Might Want to Use

Pressure Cooker
All Natural Slate Cutting Board
King Arthur Baking - Country Bread Knife

Nutrition (Per Serving)

Calories: 11kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 756mg | Potassium: 17mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 7IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 12mg | Iron: 1mg

Disclaimer: Nutrition Information per serving is estimated by a third party software based on the ingredients used, and is for informational purposes only. It will vary from product to product, based on methods of preparation, origin and freshness of ingredients. Please consult the package labels of the ingredients you use, or chat with your dietician for specific details.

This printable recipe card is for home use only. For more recipes head over to AbbysPlate.com

Tips For Salted Tongue or Ox Tongue

How to serve corned tongue?

Option 1: As a snack, you can serve it on a bed of lettuce with green chutney or tomato chutney like we do! They disappear quite quickly at parties, so you’ll probably need to corn more than one tongue for your dinner or family gathering.

Corned tongue slices on a bed of lettuce with a bowl of green chutney.
Serve the tongue with chutney and lettuce
Up close image of corned tongue slices on a bed of lettuce.
Doesn’t it look like you’re staring at an ox?

Option 2: Although you could eat tongue all by itself, it’s best not to. Serve with moong dal or masoor dal and chapatis, puris, or rice.

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Option 3: Beef tongue or ox tongue is traditionally served in a large platter with boiled cauliflower and green peas at our weddings. Of course, the platter next to it might just be foogias or orias, or some other traditional dish.

Option 4: These tongue slices also do great in sandwiches, don’t you think? We used to love finding corned tongue sandwiches in our lunch tiffin at school recess. Some memories!

Is this the same as your mom’s recipe for the salted corned tongue? What’s different? Comment and let us know!

Questions about Corned Tongue

Is Ox Tongue Really Tongue?

Yes, it is the cut of meat that is from the tongue of a bovine animal. It’s the part of the meat considered offal along with the heart, liver, kidneys, udders, brains, trotters, and tripe.

What Does Ox Tongue Taste Like?

Ox tongue taste similar to the other parts of red meat but being fattier tastes chewier.

What Is The Difference Between Ox And Beef Tongue?

Ox tongue, neat’s tongue, or beef tongue are all one and the same, the tongue of a bovine animal such as a cow (female) or bull, ox, or bullock (male). Females are usually not used for meat in some cultures because they’re considered holy, while in others they’re simply not used since they’re more useful for milk production.

Why Corn Tongue?

The simple answer to the question of why we corn tongue or cure tongue is so that it becomes more flavorful and tender. There’s just that certain oomph to the taste that curing adds.

Why Do We Have To Pay More For Beef Tongue?

Depending on the breed, the weight of a cow or bull can vary from 250 kgs to over 1000 kgs. The tongue of the animal, however, only weighs between 1 to 2 kg. This difference, plus the demand for ox tongue leads to an increased cost.

What If I Can’t Find Salt Petre Near Me?

If you can’t find salt peter / salt petre, use an approved curing salt. It’s also sold as a prague powder. Some of the well known curing salts are Tender Quick, Instaquick, Hoosier Hill Prague Powder, Misty Gully Curing Salts, Smoke Dust Curing Salts, and a lot more.

How Long Can I Store Corned Tongue?

Corned Tongue can be stored in a refrigerator for about 3-4 days or in the freezer for upto 3 months in air-tight containers.

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6 thoughts on “Corned Beef Tongue – Salted Ox Tongue”

    • Hi Errol, here in Poinsur we usually buy it from the local banya shops. Just check with your grocery store. They’re more likely to have it than the bigger stores.

      Reply
  1. The tongues look as good as buying them from the aunties. Do tell the story about the people thinking saltpetre was MSG. Their poor tongue must have turned out different.5 stars

    Reply

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