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Hungarian Goulash

Hungarian Goulash

traditional spicy hearty soup

 

It is not really a soup, it is not really a stew...it is simply a goulash, something in between - keep on reading to understand :) Goulash brings me to many places at once. First of all, to my family and my childhood. To the late summer or autumn day trips to the forests near Košice (Slovakia), where my father, my brother and I were picking mushrooms while my mum was cooking goulash on an open fire. This traditional way of cooking, that you can see in the last picture, was also what we did on our family trip to Moravian-Silesian Beskids two years ago. We used to do this with our friends as well, when we rented a cottage in a countryside somewhere in Czechia or Slovakia for a weekend. There are countless stories about how someone added too much black pepper or way too much water, about the fights on what should or should not come into the “real” goulash, about falling asleep while eating a goulash (being tired after whole day “brunching”) or simply about how important it is to have one sober person being in charge of cooking and keeping the fire from the beginning till the end. Originally, goulash comes from Hungary, same as a part of my family that we used to visit in summers. Biatorbágy, a small town near Budapest, would be the other place where this hungarian national dish takes me. Goulash means friends, family, nature, freedom and warmth to me. Now, in November 2020, when gatherings are not allowed and travelling is hugely restricted, let’s get together by cooking and eating goulash.

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  • 1 kg beef shoulder 

  • 1 kg potatoes

  • 5 pcs yellow onion

  • 2-3 pcs carrots

  • 2-3 pcs parsley roots

  • 2-3 pcs white paprika

  • 6 pcs tomatoes

  • 4 cloves garlic

  • 200 g mushrooms - optional - I add those for my husband

  • fresh or dried chili peppers - optional - depends on how spicy you want your goulash to be

  • 100 ml beer - optional

  • 1-2 teaspoons smoked salt - optional - to substitute the real smoke aroma from an open fire

  • 2 tablespoons sunflower oil or pork fat

  • 1-2 teaspoons caraway seeds - whole or crushed

  • 2 bay leaves

  • 4 teaspoons sweet paprika powder

  • 1 teaspoon hot paprika powder

  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika powder 

  • 2-3 teaspoons dried marjoram

  • 1 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

  • 3 teaspoons salt

  • boiling water or broth

  • bread for serving

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  1. Cut the meat to smaller chunks, remove membranes, leave on some fat and chop the onions.

  2. Peel and shred one raw potato. Peel off the garlic cloves. 

  3. Put the oil/pork fat in the big pot and place over a medium heat. Add onions and meat once the oil/pork fat is hot enough.

  4. Fry the meat so that each piece shrinks a bit and gets brown. Stir frequently and have boiling hot water or broth ready in a kettle or another pot.

  5. Once the onions are getting glassy but not brown, turn down the heat to low, add spices, garlic cloves and stir in quickly.

  6. Add some salt - I was not using broth (that may already contain some salt) - I used 4-5 full teaspoons of salt/smoked salt.

  7. Pour over some boiling hot water or broth - just enough to cover the meat. Add shredded potato, stir. 

  8. Cover the pot with a lid and cook on a low heat. It should not be boiling like crazy, just bubbling gently.

  9. While the meat is being cooked, prepare the remaining ingredients - wash and dice the tomatoes, paprikas, potatoes (I do not peel them off), carrots, parsley roots, slice the mushrooms and chili peppers if using. 

  10. This will give your meat around 30 minutes of cooking time, maybe a bit more and it is OK, just check that there is always enough water so that the meat does not burn. Add more water/broth if needed.

  11. Once ready with cutting, add carrots and parsley to the meat. Add mushrooms, chili peppers and beer if using.

  12. Add water/broth to cover the ingredients in the cooking pot. Keep the low to medium heat, stir occasionally and cook for 20-30 minutes under the lid.

  13. Add tomatoes, paprikas, potatoes, mix well and add some more hot water/broth to cover all the ingredients - the water should be like 2 cm above the ingredients.

  14. Keep cooking under the lid on the medium heat, stir occasionally.

  15. Adjust the taste - you may need to add some more salt or paprika or chili for spiciness. 

  16. Check if you want to add more water/broth - bare in mind that goulash is something between soup and stew and you for sure do not want it to be too watery so only add water/broth gradually.

  17. Your goulash will need at least 30 more minutes to be nicely cooked through - it all depends on how big the meat/veggies pieces are cut into. Check mainly the meat, if it is tender enough or not, also check the potatoes and carrots. Cook until all the ingredients are nicely tender but be careful not to overcook the goulash - you do not want it to turn into a mash.

  18. Once you are happy with the taste and the tenderness, turn off the heat, add 1-2 teaspoons of dried marjoram and serve with some bread immediately.

  19. Goulash is great right after cooking and even better the next day - reheat in a pot, not in a microwave and enjoy again :)

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