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Indian Tongue Curry (Offal Curry Style)
Indian-style tongue curry is a slow-cooked, richly spiced dish made with tender meat that becomes soft and flavorful after long simmering. It’s popular in traditional home cooking and special occasion meals.
🧾 Ingredients
- 1 beef tongue (or lamb tongue)
- 2 onions (finely sliced or blended)
- 2–3 tomatoes (chopped or pureed)
- 2–3 tbsp oil or ghee
- 2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 2 tsp red chili powder (adjust to taste)
- 2 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- Salt to taste
- 1–2 green chilies (optional)
- Whole spices (optional): bay leaf, cinnamon stick, cloves
- Fresh coriander for garnish
🔥 Step 1: Prepare the tongue
- Wash the tongue thoroughly
- Boil in water with salt and whole spices for 45–90 minutes until tender
- Peel off the outer skin while still warm
- Slice into pieces
🍳 Step 2: Make the curry base
- Heat oil or ghee in a pan
- Add onions and cook until golden brown
- Add ginger-garlic paste and sauté until fragrant
- Add tomatoes and cook until soft and oil separates
🌶️ Step 3: Add spices
Mix in:
- turmeric
- chili powder
- coriander powder
- cumin powder
- salt
Cook until spices are well roasted.
🥩 Step 4: Add tongue
- Add sliced tongue pieces
- Stir well to coat with spices
- Cook for 5–7 minutes
💧 Step 5: Simmer
- Add water (just enough to make gravy)
- Cover and simmer 20–30 minutes on low heat
👉 This helps the meat absorb all the flavors.
🌿 Step 6: Finish
- Add green chilies (optional)
- Garnish with fresh coriander
😋 Flavor profile
- Deep, slow-cooked spices
- Very tender, rich meat texture
- Thick, aromatic gravy
⭐ Tips for best results
- Pressure cooking the tongue first makes it much softer
- Slow cooking improves flavor dramatically
- Add a squeeze of lemon at the end for brightness
If you want, I can also make:
- A Pakistani-style spicy tongue masala version
- Or a pressure cooker quick version (under 45 minutes total)