Hungarian Goulash
Hearty paprika-rich beef stew with potatoes and caraway, simmered low and slow.
Meat
How this varies: Authentic Hungarian gulyás is traditionally a thinner, brothier soup (it's served as a soup course in Hungary, not a stew) and skips tomato paste entirely. This heartier, thicker stew-style version — built on tomato and bell pepper — is the popular international/Western interpretation of "goulash," closer to what much of the world expects, but a Hungarian home cook would recognize the base recipe (paprika added off the heat, caraway, potatoes) as gulyás even if they'd call this specific version a bit untraditionally thick.
Ingredients
- 1kg beef chuck, cubed
- 2 onions, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tbsp sweet Hungarian paprika
- 1 tsp caraway seeds
- 2 tomatoes, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 3 potatoes, cubed
- 4 cups beef stock
- 2 tbsp oil
Steps
- Heat oil in a heavy pot, brown beef in batches; set aside.
- Saute onions until deep golden, about 10 minutes.
- Remove pot from heat briefly, stir in paprika (prevents burning/bitterness), then return to heat.
- Add garlic, caraway, tomatoes, and bell pepper, cook 3 minutes.
- Return beef to the pot, add stock, bring to a simmer, cover, and cook 1.5 hours until beef is tender.
- Add potatoes, simmer 25-30 more minutes until potatoes are soft. Season with salt and serve with crusty bread.