Hungarian Goulash
Goulash is a national dish of Hungary and neighboring countries in Central Europe and the Balkans and is widely known in other parts of the world. Its name comes from the Hungarian gulyas, from gulya - herd of cattle. Difficulty: medium. Category: Main dishes. Published by Stoyan Karadzhov.
⏱️ Prep: 150 min
Ingredients
| 1 kg | Beef (shank or shoulder) | |
| 3-4 | Onions | |
| 1/2 cup | 120 ml | Oil |
| 1 | Red pepper (capsicum) | |
| 3-4 | Garlic cloves | |
| 2 tbsp | 30 ml | Sweet (or smoked) paprika |
| 3-4 pinches | Ground black pepper, to taste | |
| 3-4 pinches | Salt, to taste |
Instructions
- Goulash is most often prepared as a stew. Cut the meat into medium-large pieces. Season with salt, red and black pepper. For goulash it is good to use beef from the shank or shoulder, because the stew thickens thanks to the tough, well-developed muscles rich in collagen.
- In the pot in which you will make the goulash, sear the meat in hot fat.
- Slice the pepper, onion and garlic and add them to the pot. Leave them for 5-6 minutes to soften.
- Once the meat has browned, add 2 cups of broth or water. Let the stew simmer on low heat for at least 2 hours to thicken. Stir from time to time. If needed, add a little more broth or water.
- Optionally, you may add potatoes cut into small cubes to make the stew even thicker and smoother once they break down. You can also add a few more spices - bay leaf, thyme and ground caraway seeds. Toward the end of cooking you may add a little white wine or a very small amount of wine vinegar.
- Some cookbooks recommend using flour or cornstarch for thickening, but this makes the flavor milder. Other cooks suggest adding about 200 g of tomato puree for color and flavor. A little tomato in the broth or drops of tomato puree may improve the taste and appearance of the dish, but goulash is a peppery dish and the taste of tomatoes should not be noticeable.
- Goulash is served with boiled potatoes or mashed potatoes, polenta (kachamak), dumplings (knedli) or bread.