L is for Lent, lengua, lucre

Today marks the start of the final week of Lent. I should be the last person to tell you that, except I was at the market to buy cooking bananas for my ox tongue stew, only to discover they now cost ₱2.50 apiece. “But these went for a peso yesterday!” The vendor met my incredulous stare with one of her own — as if to say, Our Savior enters Jerusalem in triumph today, and here you’re whining about my lousy 150% mark-up?

Ladies and gentlemen, meet the price gougers, Holy Week edition. If you have still to stock up on banana, sweet potato, squash, taro, yam, and palm flour jelly balls (landang to us), prepare to pay no less than 100% more for them in the days ahead. Coconut cream, too. And fish, both fresh and dried. You may need to stock up on sliced (tasty) bread as well; bakeries tend to run out of that this time of year. In case you haven’t noticed, Filipinos’ idea of abstinence only extends as far as the consumption of meat. In its place, we ingest unholy amounts of carbs. And where a demand exists, capitalism thrives. Or should I, in this case, say “opportunism”?

Whatever. I’m no economist. I’m not even a properly trained cook. As for the overpriced saging, I could have stood my ground and told the vendor I’d see her next week unless the trade office got to her first, but my lengua estofado (ox tongue stew) couldn’t wait that long, so I grudgingly paid ₱20 for eight puny bananas. “Happy holy week,” I said as I handed her the filthy lucre. If she caught the sarcasm, she didn’t let on. Forgive these people, oh Lord — they know exactly what they’re doing.

Lengua Estofado (Ox Tongue Stew)

Traditional Filipino stew is tomato-based. This dish is perhaps better known to you as “ox tongue in mushroom sauce,” but it is estofado nonetheless. Canned (condensed) cream of mushroom soup is usually used, but the powdered kind works just as well, and that was what I used. Fried bananas (like olives) provide a nice counterpoint to the richness of the dish. If you have leftover stock, store in the freezer for use in other dishes.

• 1 kilo ox tongue

For prepping tongue:
• 1 large yellow onion, quartered
• 1 large carrot, cut into 2″ pieces
• 5 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 4 star anise
• 3 dried bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons light soy sauce

For the stew:
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, sliced
• 1 cup button mushrooms, sliced
• 5 cups beef broth
• ½ cup cream of mushroom powder
• 1½ tablespoons oyster sauce
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon Italian parsley, minced
• salt and pepper, to taste


• semi-ripe cooking bananas, sliced 1½″ thick
• freshly grated nutmeg (optional)

1. Put tongue in a stock pot and add enough water to cover the meat. Boil for 15 minutes, then discard water and thoroughly wash tongue.
2. In your cooking vessel of choice, place tongue and prep ingredients. Add enough water to cover meat. If using a pressure cooker, cook for 35 to 40 minutes. If using the stove-top, cover pot, turn heat up to high until water boils, then turn heat down to medium-low. Simmer for 5 to 6 hours (same as with a slow cooker/crock pot). Add more water as needed to keep meat submerged the whole time. To test for doneness, take a fork or knife and pierce tongue at the thickest part. If it goes through easily, remove meat from pot. Strain broth and set aside to cool. Discard aromatics.
3. Hold tongue under cold running water and peel off its skin. Drain well before cutting meat into ½-inch slices. Set aside. Meanwhile, take 5 cups of broth. It should be at room temperature (if not, add some ice cubes to help it along). Add cream of mushroom powder and mix until no lumps remain. Set aside. Fry banana slices until browned. Set aside.
4. Place stock pot over medium heat. Add butter and oil. Wait until half the butter has melted before adding mushrooms. Sauté for 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in onions and sauté for another 5 minutes or until onions become soft (but not completely limp). Remove from pot and set aside.
5. Pour the broth/cream of mushroom mixture into the pot. Stir constantly until slightly thickened, but more on the watery side. Add oyster sauce and sugar, then season to taste. Return mushrooms, onions, and sliced tongue to the pot and cook for 10 minutes (the stew will thicken some more). Add parsley before turning off heat. Serve with fried bananas on the side. Dust with freshly grated nutmeg if you have it.