Japanese cuisine · Meat & Kebab

Gyutan (Beef Tongue)

Tender simmered beef tongue in thick slices, grilled over fire with just salt, served with lemon and barley rice.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 1kg beef tongue
• 1 onion
• 1 carrot
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp peppercorns
• 2 tsp coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 200g rice
• 80g pearl barley
• 1 lemon
• 4 scallions
• 2 tbsp oil

Instructions

1. Soak the beef tongue in cold water for 30 minutes, rinse thoroughly and place in a large pot with the onion, carrot, bay leaves and peppercorns.
2. Cover with water, bring to a boil once, skim off the foam and simmer gently for 2–2.5 hours, until a fork slides in without resistance.
3. Let the tongue cool briefly, peel off the rough skin while still warm, and cut the meat into slices about 1cm thick.
4. Wash the rice and pearl barley together and cook covered in twice the volume of salted water for 20 minutes, until tender and absorbed.
5. Season the slices on both sides with coarse sea salt and black pepper, and grill with oil on a hot grill or grill pan for 2 minutes per side, until dark grill marks form.
6. Serve with lemon wedges, scallion rings and the barley rice.