If you’re Hungarian, you have almost definitely sampled goulash at some point or another. If you’re Hungarian and you haven’t yet had the privilege of trying goulash, do your heritage a favour and go and get your hands on some.
Goulash is not specific to Hungary, but there is a difference between traditional goulash and Hungarian goulash, or, said correctly, gulyás. The Hungarian version is served as a hearty beef stew of sorts, with plenty of paprika, while the American version is typically made with ground beef, macaroni noodles, and tomato sauce. Hungarian goulash is positively delicious, and while it may not be the simplest recipe to prepare, I assure you, the work is entirely worth the results.
Check out the following recipe for Authentic Hungarian Goulash (Gulyás) from daringgourmet.com.
“INGREDIENTS
- 3 tablespoons pork lard , or butter or bacon grease (pork lard is traditionally used and imparts a great flavor)
- 1 1/2 pounds yellow onions chopped
- 1/4 cup quality genuine imported Hungarian sweet paprika
- 1 1/2 pounds stewing beef , cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 5 cloves garlic ,minced
- 2 red bell peppers ,seeded/membranes removed, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
- 1 yellow bell pepper ,seeded/membranes removed, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
- 2 tomatoes ,diced
- 2 carrots ,diced
- 2 medium potatoes ,cut into 1/2 inch chunks
- 5 cups beef broth (traditionally just water is used but beef broth adds so much more flavor)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed caraway seeds (optional, not traditional in all regions)
“INSTRUCTIONS
- Melt the pork lard or butter/oil in a Dutch oven or other heavy soup pot over medium high heat and cook the onions until beginning to brown, about 7-10 minutes. Add the beef and cook until the beef is just starting to brown, 7-10 minutes. Add the bell peppers, tomatoes, and garlic and cook for another 6-8 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the paprika, salt, pepper and caraway (if using) (note: paprika becomes bitter if at all scorched). Add the beef broth, bay leaf, return to the stove and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, cover and simmer for 40 minutes. Add the carrots and potatoes. Return to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, cover, and simmer for another 30-40 minutes or until the beef is nice and tender. Add salt to taste. Remove the bay leaf,” the recipe explains.
The best Hungarian goulash, in my opinion, includes dumplings, or Nokedli, but we will save that component for another day. I’m not here to overwhelm anyone.
Photo by Sanket Shah on Unsplash
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