5 Fabulous Bloggers: Just One Cookbook

Nami, Just One Cookbook, Japanese Beef Tongue, Gyutan, BBQ Beef Tongue
Gyutan | BBQ Beef Tongue

Hi everyone! My name is Nami, and I share quick and easy Japanese home cooking at my blog, Just One Cookbook.

I’m really excited to be here today to celebrate Lori Lynn (LL)’s 5 year anniversary for her blog! Congratulations LL! For the past year I’ve followed her blog and I’ve been continuously inspired by her beautiful and unique creations. Each week I am really excited every time I receive recipe updates from her. Working together in the food blogger community, she is someone special to me because I truly admire her culinary talents and magical photography skills. I feel very honored to be invited by her today for this special series of guest posts she’s having. Thank you LL!

The only request from her for this guest post was that I cook something exotic. For someone who is not familiar with Japanese food, it’s possible to think many dishes in Japanese cuisine can be exotic, such as sashimi (raw fish). Being a Japanese myself, I had to give it some thoughts and I finally came up with one, which might be too exotic for some readers.

I prepared gyutan, which is grilled sliced beef tongue. Until I did a bit of research for this post, I didn’t know that beef tongue is used not only by Japanese cuisine, but enjoyed in many other cuisines such as American, Mexican, Romanian, German, Persian, English, Russian, Italian, Filipino, Korean and many more (source). I was very surprised when I found this out since I don’t typically see beef tongue on restaurant menus (except in Mexican Taquerias).

The Japanese word gyutan is a combination of the Japanese word for cow (gyu) and the English word tongue (tan). The region in Japan that first started to cook gyutan was Sendai and it was initially considered a rather unusual dish, but gradually gained popularity throughout Japan around 1950s.

beef tongue

Gyutan

Gyutan is one of the popular item to order at yakiniku (Japanese barbecue) restaurants. We usually grill these thinly sliced beef tongue and flavor it with salt. However, the way my husband and I like to eat gyutan is with yuzu juice and yuzu kosho (citrus pepper).

Yuzu is a citrus fruit fondly used for many Japanese dishes and desserts. We use the aromatic zest is for garnishing and its juice for seasoning. It’s quite hard to find fresh yuzu fruit, so I get this yuzu juice bottle from a Japanese supermarket.

yuzu juice
Yuzu Juice

Yuzu kosho is a fermented paste made from chili peppers, yuzu peel, and salt. We use it for flavoring yakitori (Japanese grilled chicken), udon soup, tempura, sashimi, and Japanese hot pot. Yuzu kosho may come in a jar or in a small tube container.

yuzu kosho
Yuzu Kosho

Both yuzu juice and Yuzu kosho gives nice tart and spicy kick to the gyutan and it adds a level of sophisticated flavor which is difficult to replicate with other spices. Another favorite to enjoy sliced gyutan is to just simply sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper, barbeque and dip in lemon sauce. Gyutan burns and catches fire very easily when you barbeque so be careful while you cook.

Thank you everyone for reading this post. LL, thank you so much for having me and best wishes for your excellent blog!

just one cookbook, gyutan, beef tongue

Barbecue Beef Tongue with Yuzu Kosho

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Yield: serves 2 as appetizer

Ingredients:
1/4 lb beef tongue slices (you can purchase it in Japanese supermarket)

Seasonings:
1 Tbsp. yuzu kosho (each brand of yuzu kosho has different in spices, please adjust)
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 Tbsp. sake
1/2 Tbsp. sesame oil
1/2 tsp. yuzu juice (or lemon juice)
1/8 large onion (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper

Note:
All ingredients used in today’s recipe can be found at your local Japanese supermarket.

gyutan ingredients, just one cookbook recipe

Directions:

1. Combine all the seasonings in a small bowl and whisk together.

just one cookbook, nami, gyutan, beef tongue,

2. Spread the sauce on the container.

nami, just one cookbook, japanese gyutan recipe

3. Spread the beef tongue without overwrapping each other and pour the rest of the sauce on top.

Nami, Just One Cookbook, Japanese cooking gyutan beef tongue

4. If you like, you can grate onion on top and marinade the beef tongue for at least 30 minutes. Do not over marinade since the tongue will become too salty.

JUST ONE COOKBOOK BEST RECIPES

5. Start the grill, preferably over charcoal.

Just One Cookbook BBQ REcipes

6. Grill on high heat for 1-2 minutes.

Nami Chen Beef Tongue, BBQ Gyutan, Japanese Beef Tongue, Best Recipe Namiko Chen

7. Flip the meat and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Serve immediately with small amount of yuzu kosho on the side.

Namiko Chen, Just One Cookbook, Grilled Tongue
Enjoy!

Namiko Chen Grilled Beef Tongue, Just One Cookbook

☆ Taste With The Eyes is 5 Years Old ☆

I’m just thrilled to have 5 extraordinary blogger friends help me celebrate this milestone anniversary with Guest Posts on Taste With The Eyes. Please welcome them in the coming weeks as they share their own unique and magical art of cuisine, photography, and watercolor painting.

☆ Just One Cookbook ☆

Today it is my absolute pleasure to welcome Nami, her terrific blog captured my attention over a year ago and I have been a devoted fan ever since. Recently she taught us how to prepare eel and how to purchase it here in the states. Eel is now on my shopping list. Additionally, I adore Nami’s travel posts, her recent trip back to Japan with her family is so delightful to experience – with breathtaking photos and a heart-felt narrative.

We also share a love of yuzu. I planted a yuzu tree in my garden a few years back, and it is doing quite well. So I promise here and now to ship a crop up to Nami in Northern California as soon as the fruits are ready in the late Fall.

Thank you Nami, your blog is a treasure and it is my honor to know you and my pleasure to have you share your BBQ Beef Tongue recipe on Taste With The Eyes. Can’t wait to serve it at my next dinner party! And no, it’s not too exotic, it’s fabulous! Arigato gozaimasu my friend.

Toujours Bon Appétit,
Lori Lynn

5 Fabulous Blogger Friends in Honor of 5 Years of Blogging

Just One Cookbook – Nami, San Francisco
“Quick and Easy Japanese Home Cooking”

Foodalogue – Joan, Palm Beach County, Florida
“Meandering Meals, Musings + Travel”

Merisi’s Vienna for Beginners – Merisi, Vienna
“A Daily Melange of Virtual Postcards from Vienna”

Proud Italian Cook – Marie, Chicago
“Home Cooking, Italian American Style”

Paris Breakfast – Carol, Paris/New York
“I Paint Paris Dreams…”

 


70 thoughts on “5 Fabulous Bloggers: Just One Cookbook”

  1. LL, the pleasure is all mine. Thank you so much for having me. One of great experiences while blogging is to be featured on my favorite blog that I enjoy reading and admire. Thank you!!

    Yuzu for me?! Awww! Thank you so much!!! I must create some delicious food to return then. 🙂 Thanks again for everything!

  2. I didn’t have tongue in so long – not since I was a child and I didn’t like it too much then. I guess I probably would enjoy it now that I’m all grown up and sensible. I love this preparation of it… so much better than just plain frying it – delicious!

  3. That is a very interesting recipe!

    The sliced beef tongue, in the picture where you start marinating it, reminds me of vinegared ox muzzle (salade de museau à la vinaigrette) that is available at butcher’s shops and delis here.

  4. Oh, Nami – this is fascinating! I had no idea that beef tongue could be marinated and barbecued!! Now, where to get this yuzu kosho!!! You say you were not aware how many other countries love this body part – well, being born in Estonia this was my favourite, my very favourite protein as a child. My parents could get me to do anything as long as I was promised this as a treat! But we slowly boiled it with Northern European aromatics for about 3 hours, then skinned it whilst still hot [ouch!!] – to me it was manna from heaven with potato mash and lingonberry preserves! I have continued to have it here in Australia and now I have a new recipe to try thanks to your lovely guest post!!

    1. Hi Eha! I actually don’t know how else to eat beef tongue besides BBQ. 🙂 It has a lot of fat so BBQing is good to get rid of the oil, but I’d love to have some beef tongue cooked other way. Thanks for your kind comment. 🙂

      1. Nami – let’s face it, all offal [liver, brains, sweetbreads, kidneys etc] has a high fat %! This is the main reason it is off so many people’s menus. I am certain the BBQing does take care of much of that and this is why I would love to try it this way. I am just surprised that such a tough meat can be cooked so quickly. When one boils it [not that I am fond of cooking things in water generally] very slowly for a long time, one gets an almost buttery, soft consistency and the flavour is strong enough to carry the dish. Perhaps we can compare this to cooking an octopus: either it is a job of a few minutes or one braises it Greek-style for over an hour? 🙂 !

        1. BBQing beef tongue is very quick and if you cook it too long, it will burn because so much oil will come out. It’s a quick bbq. Japanese uses thinly sliced meat (you see picture above), and maybe that’s why? The meat is not hard at all, and even my small kids can eat it. 🙂 It has a nice char flavor and my husband loves it with beer. 🙂

          1. Namiko dearheart, you don’t have to convince me to try this! I most assuredly will – love new ways, have loved Japanese cooking since I first visited. I looked up my Estonian, Finnish and Swedish cookbooks: all basically have the same recipe: bring whole ox tongue to boil with water to cover, skim, add some black peppercorns, couple of allspice, 1-2 bay leaves, a few cloves, 1 whole onion, 1-2 scraped carrots per quart of water used – bring to boil, cover, simmer 2 1/2 – 3 hours until a toothpick inserted at root end goes in easily. Drain, peel whilst still quite hot – eat hot with mustard or a cooling cucumber sauce, or use it for brilliant sandwich filling 🙂 ! Start slicing at root end on the diagonal and don’t make the slices too thin 😀 !

  5. Beef tongue isn’t something I’m very familiar with cooking or eating though I’m sure my parents could have given me some recipes if they were available. This dish isn’t something that they would have been familiar with, though. 🙂

    I’m guessing the citrus and thin cut across the grain requiring a short cooking time will help tenderize/keep tender what would be a tougher meat requiring a long cooking time regularly. I just wish I could buy small quantities to make at home but I’d probably have to buy the whole tongue and have the butcher thin slice it for me. Maybe one day though.

    Thank you for hosting Nami, Lori, and Nami, thank you for introducing me to another interesting site … cause I don’t already spend too much time reading all these recipes and being inspired. 😀

    1. Oh yes, the meat is not chewy at all. It’s not soft like regular beef, but it has very nice texture to it, and I love the little spice and citrusy flavor. I’ve never seen the whole tongue before as I buy pre-sliced beef tongue. It might be too much for me. =)

  6. Great post! Tongue is not something I cook or order in restaurants although I know it’s widely consumed and appreciated. However, this post has opened my eyes and I would definitely try it. I’m also delighted to know I could purchase yuzu juice – I’ve been jealous of LL’s backyard tree!

    Lastly, thanks for the introduction to Nami and her blog.

  7. oh I knew it would be a winner. How delicious, Nami. I have always adored tongue, although where I grew up, we called it ox tongue. We’d just have it sliced cold with salads and picalilli. This looks much nicer!

  8. So fun to find Nami guest posting here…and as usual, she’s made a gorgeous dish. Both my parents grew up eating tongue, so they’d love this more unsual preparation. LL, what a great way to celebrate your blog’s anniversary…looking forward to all the guest bloggers 🙂

    Nami, hi there, my friend!! As always, you’ve shared an exotic and wonderful recipe!

    1. Thank you Lizzy for your kind words. 🙂 I was actually surprised so many countries use beef tongue. It wasn’t my favorite while growing up but now I could appreciate different kinds of food especially after living in SF. 🙂

  9. Lovely to meet another friend of Nami’s. Lori Lynn, I love Nami too and think her blog is wonderful. I feel like a member of her family. She’s a terrific blog friend.

    This dish looks fantastic!

    1. Maureen, thank you for the kindest words. 🙂 I feel the same, and great to have you as my blog friend! I’m glad you found Lori Lynn’s fantastic blog. You will enjoy every post on this amazing blog!

  10. This is really the prettiest beef tongue I have ever seen! Coming from the south, the whole tongue was put on the table and sliced. This is much more appetizing and I love the thin slices being grilled after marinating. I know I would definitely love this!!!! Great post and lovely clicks Nami!

    1. Whole tongue on the table! That must be something… I still remembered when I learned what I was eating was bbq beef tongue. I thought the cow has that thinly sliced tongue. Never imagined that tongue is thinly sliced… I know it sounds gross but I thought that time how small tongue cows have… how silly, I know… Thanks for your kind comment!

  11. What a great way to cook tongue. I haven’t heard of some of those Japanese seasonings. I think I’d better get down to my Asian grocery store and stock up xx

    1. Thanks Charlie! If there is a Japanese supermarket, most likely you can find it, but if it’s Asian or Chinese, it can be hard… I’m spoiled by living in SF/California where I can find most of Japanese products while living away from home. 🙂

  12. Lori Lynn- Congrats on 5 fabulous years. You are such an inspiration to others. Plus you’re a total sweetheart which I love.

    Nami- So happy to see you here. This recipe is another stellar creation. Everything you do just blows my mind. I need to hit the market again. I am eyeing the yuzu juice really badly.

    1. Thank you Kim! I feel I’m cheating as I usually just share what we eat, but it can be unique and creative for a lot of people. It’s probably how I feel about all the bakers. For them it’s a piece of cake but for me… it’s such a TASK and not therapeutic at all…. LOL. Thanks for your kind comment!

    1. Thank you Valerie for taking your time to look around LL’s blog. All her dishes are like five star restaurants presentation. We, as a food blogger, can learn so much about food presentation from her blog. 🙂

  13. Although I’ve never had tongue, Nami’s presentation is luring me in to give it a try, I need to go outside my comfort zone and go a little exotic sometimes! Beautiful photography as well!

    1. Thank you so much for your kind compliment Marie. 🙂 Oh I have a long list of exotic food that I should be trying for experience…but I haven’t. We sometimes need to forget about what it is and just eat it (it would be even better if someone just give you and you eat it without knowing). 🙂

  14. I’ve only had tongue once in my life. The thought of eating it doesn’t set well with me. However the one time I had it my mom tricked me into trying it and it was delicious but just knowing where it comes from kept me from eating it again.

    Your recipe sounds very tempting and I’m sure brings the flavor to an entirely new level. When I can muster the thought of eating it again I will definitely try your recipe.

    1. Thank you Vicki! I’m pretty confident that a lot of people enjoy this dish and actually get surprised that what they are eating is beef tongue. It’s beef tongue, it doesn’t sounds delicious at all, right?!?! I got used to block my mind not to think about where it comes from… 🙂

  15. Hi Lori Lynn and Hi Nami,

    Lori Lynn – this is my first time visiting your blog and Nami is right – you have an amazing site and I am admiring it. Happy 5th anniversary to you.

    Nami – you are really an amazing cook and this shot of the beef tongue is beautifully paired with the dish. Nice lighting and the background is superb! I am really impressed my friend!

    Thank you ladies for this wonderful post!

    ~ ray ~

  16. Congratulation Lori Lynn for the five years and wish you many more.
    Glad to meet Nami as well. Tongue is indeed a wonderful delicacy which however I have never bbq before.

    1. Hi Ivy! Oh I hope one day you will BBQ beef tongue. It’s amazing! I’ve never tried other beef tongue recipes, so I can’t compare, but I’m really happy with this recipe and people who tried all loved this. 🙂 Thank you for your kind comment.

  17. Hello, Lori Lynn. Happy bloggerversary!
    My name is Arudhi and I`m new here 🙂 I live in Sendai where the gyutan is its absolute must-try specialty for every visitor, or even for residence like me. Usually it comes in miso or salt flavor, but I love the use of yuzu kosho in Nami`s recipe. Nami, you really made me want to bring a bottle of yuzu kosho with me and go to gyutan-ya san :DD As always, wonderful shots you have there!

    1. That’s right! You are from Sendai. When I visit Sendai, please take me to the best beef tongue restaurant! 🙂 In Tokyo area, we don’t really see gyutan specialize restaurants. I must check it out when I go northern Japan next time. Thank you for your kind comment Arudhi!

  18. Hi, Lori Lynn, I have just discovered your wonderful blog thanks to Nami. Happy Anniversary!
    Nami, your beef tongue looks absolutely amazing. I love the marinade and yuzu koshu as a seasoning. I wish I could have a slice now and I will certainly test your recipe one day (my butcher is already used to cutting thin meat slices for my Japanese rolls, so no problem with the good thickness 😉 ).

  19. It’s such a thrill to see Nami here. Her dishes are so fantastic and I think they’re all exotic. Thank you LL for inviting Nami over here. Just One Cookbook not only inspires you to try Japanese recipes, it inspires you to put your best foot forward every time.

  20. Those photos are spectacular. How interesting to do beef tongue this way. I have always been squeamish about it… getting braver when I see recipes like this!

  21. Great recipe! And tongue has really fallen out of favor in the US. I almost never see it in the supermarket anymore, and it’s getting scarce in deli cases too (a sliced tongue sandwich is good stuff). Thanks for this, and Lori, I’m glad Nami introduced me to your blog – I don’t know how it’s possible, but I didn’t know about it! But I’ll be back – it’s great.

    1. Oh thank you! Right, it’s not in ordinary supermarket for sure. I think I’ve seen a few times in high end supermarket here but forgot to check the price. I didn’t know it was served at deli too. I’m glad you found LL’s blog. It’s an addicting blog for sure!!!

  22. Hi Lori Lynn and Nami,

    I love both of your blogs, you are very talented ladies. Lori Lynn, a big congratulations on you 5th!! And Nami, a great guest post. Glad that you choose something exotic to many of us:)

  23. Congrats Nami! So great to see you get some recognition. I love reading your blog and I think I will continue reading tastewiththeeyes since they have good taste in bloggers 😉

  24. Thank you for this!

    My daughter brings home things from her job at an importer of Japanese food. We might be the only Jewish/Filipino household in NJ that already has yuzu kosho and the other ingredients on hand! So when she brought home sliced beef tongue today, this recipe came in handy.

    Now, what to do with the wagyu beef and the oysters …

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