Beef Tongue Stew (Lengua Guisada), Panamanian style, is a tender cut of meat made with tomato sauce, culantro, potatoes, and carrots. It's quite a delight.

The beef tongue stew is a dish that is part of Latin American cuisine. There are variations of it, depending on how each country prepares it.
If you don't know how to cook beef tongue, I invite you to read my blog post on my easy guide to how to cook beef tongue and then return to this post to continue with this recipe.
This recipe is part of my mom's repertoire. As a child, I was not a fan, but now I love to eat it as an adult.
📋 Ingredients for the recipe
To prepare this recipe, you will need cooked beef tongues, potatoes, carrots, onion, tomato puree, oil, beef tongue broth, or any other broth, coriander leaves, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, and salt. In the recipe below, you will have the complete measurements of each ingredient.

We will use an electric pressure cooker (Instant Pot) of 5.7 liters and a ladle as for utensils.
Now that we have all the ingredients and utensils let's cook!
📝 How to make the Instant Pot Beef Tongue Stew recipe? - Step by Step
Step 1: Turn on your electric pressure cooker in the "Sauté" function; once it is hot, add the oil. Then add the onions and garlic cilantro and sauté until the onions are soft and change color.
Step 2: Add the passata, Worcestershire sauce, and salt and mix everything.

Step 3: Add the potatoes, carrots, and broth, and mix everything. Finally, we add the pieces of the tongue. Cancel the “Saute” function.

Step 4: Cover the pot, select the "Manual" or "Pressure" function depending on your pressure cooker model and set the time to 5 minutes. It will take about 10 minutes to get to the pressure.
Step 5: Once the time is up, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes.
Uncover the pot, and if there is a lot of liquid, you can turn on the "Saute" function and let the sauce reduce for 5 minutes. And it will be ready to enjoy!
Tips and FAQs
Storage suggestions and accompaniments
- Storage: Once cool, you can store it in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days.
- Reheat: You can heat them in a skillet or use the microwave.
- Suggested Servings:
- You can accompany it with white rice and a coleslaw salad as in the image.
- It also pairs well with a green salad and fried plantains.
- Cauliflower rice if you’re going for a low carb option. You could pair it the same way as any beef stew you make.
Substitutions
- Tomato puree: You can replace it with tomato paste (1 tablespoon). Or, if you prefer, you can use tomato sauce with some flavor (¼ cup). And you follow the steps just like the recipe.
- Beef tongue broth: If you don't have it, you can use whatever broth you have on hand or water. Any of the above options will work fine. You can reduce the amount of salt if you use cube broth.
- If you like, you can add fresh or canned mushrooms. If they are fresh, sauté them together with the onions. If they are canned, drain them and add them along with the potatoes and carrots.
- If you prefer a low carb or even a keto option, remove the potatoes and leave the carrots.
Can the recipe be reduced?
It can be cut in half without inconvenience, and you follow the same steps.
Can I cook it on the stove?
You can make it in a pot on the stove without problems. Follow the same steps 1-3. When you get to step 4, how long it takes will depend on how long it takes for the potatoes and carrots to be ready. Remember that the tongue is already cooked.
🥩 Other Beef Recipes
If you've tried the Instant Pot Beef Tongue Stew recipe or any other recipe at Nashi Food, don't forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! We love knowing about your cooking experience.
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Instant Pot Beef Tongue Stew
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon oil
- ½ onion finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 3 leaves, chopped
- ½ cup passata (tomato puree)
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and cubed
- 1 cup beef tongue broth or any other broth
- 2 beef tongues cooked and cut
Instructions
- Turn on your electric pressure cooker in the "Sauté" function; once it is hot, add the oil. Then add the onions, garlic cilantro and sauté until the onions are soft and change color.
- Now add the passata, Worcestershire sauce, salt, black pepper, and mix everything.
- Add the potatoes, carrots, broth, and mix everything. Finally, we add the pieces of the tongue. Cancel the “Saute” function.
- Cover the pot, select the "Manual" or "Pressure" function depending on your pressure cooker model, and set the time to 5 minutes. It will take about 10 minutes to get to pressure.
- Once the time is up, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes.
- Uncover the pot, if there is a lot of liquid, you can turn on the "Saute" function and let the sauce reduce a little for 5 minutes. And it will be ready to enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Storage: Once cool, you can store it in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days.
- Reheat: You can heat them in a skillet or use the microwave.
- Tomato puree: You can replace it with tomato paste (1 tablespoon). Or, if you prefer, you can use tomato sauce with some flavor (¼ cup). And you follow the steps just like the recipe.
- Beef tongue broth: If you don't have it, you can use whatever broth you have on hand or water. Any of the above options will work fine. You can reduce the amount of salt if you use cube broth.
- If you like, you can also add mushrooms, either fresh or canned. If they are fresh, sauté them together with the onions. If they are canned, drain them and add them along with the potatoes and carrots.
- If you prefer a low carb option or even a keto option, you can remove the potatoes and leave the carrots.
Amanda says
Thanks for the recipe!
Brianna says
These are so good!
swathi says
This Instant pot beef tongue stew looks delicious.
Jessica says
Richly flavored and so comforting!