Goulash (Hungarian Paprika Beef Stew)
Hungary's national dish — beef and vegetables slow-simmered with sweet Hungarian paprika. It began as a herdsmen's ('gulyás') cauldron stew. Deeply paprika-rich and, with potatoes added, a hearty one-bowl meal.
Ingredients
- Beef (shank/chuck) · cut in bite-size cubes600 g
- Onion · roughly chopped2 each
- Hungarian paprika · sweet, be generous3 tbsp
- Potatoes · in big chunks2 each
- Carrot1 each
- Bell pepper · chopped1 each
- Tomato · or 1 tbsp tomato paste1 each
- Garlic · minced3 clove
- Caraway seeds · if available1 tsp
- Oil or lard2 tbsp
- Stock or water1 L
- Salt & pepper1 to taste
Steps
- ⏲ 12 min
In a heavy pot, slowly cook the onion in oil over low heat until deeply golden (10+ minutes).
- ⏲ 1 min
Lower the heat, add garlic and caraway, then the paprika and stir just 30 seconds — don't let it burn or it turns bitter.
- ⏲ 5 min
Add the beef and brown all over, then stir in the tomato (or paste).
- ⏲ 75 min
Pour in enough stock to barely cover, cover, and simmer gently 1-1.5 hours until the beef is tender.
- ⏲ 23 min
Add the potatoes, carrot, and pepper; simmer another 20-25 minutes until the vegetables are done.
Season with salt and pepper and serve with bread or csipetke (little pinched dumplings).
Tips & Variations
Variations
- Gulyásleves (soup): More stock for a brothy soup — the most common form.
- Pörkölt: Less liquid for a thick stew, served over rice or galuska.
- With csipetke: Little hand-pinched flour dumplings dropped into the pot.
- Spicy: Add hot paprika or cherry peppers for a kick.
Tips
- Cook the onions well for sweetness and depth — don't rush it.
- Add the paprika off high heat and toast only briefly; burning it makes everything bitter.
- Hungarian sweet paprika is the core flavor — use it fresh and generously.
- Simmer the beef low and slow until tender (shank or chuck are ideal).
- A pinch of caraway adds that distinctly Hungarian aroma.
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