Goulash (Gulyás) is a slow-cooked Hungarian soup and the staple of their national cuisine. Served only with a piece of warm bread or traditional pinched noodles csipetke, it will leave you feeling filled for hours.
Ingredients
- 2 tbs vegetable oil
- 200g onions
- 600g beef (any tender part like shin)
- 1 tbs sweet paprika powder
- 1 ts ground caraway seed
- 1 bay leaf
- salt
- pepper
- 80g carrots
- 25g potatoes
- 50g celery root
- 50g parsnip
- 1 tbs tomato paste
- 80-100g fresh peppers (preferably green ones)
Instructions
- Peal the onion and chop it finely.
- Cut the beef into 2cm cubes.
- Heat the oil in the pot, add chopped onion, and fry it until it becomes golden.
- Add the meat and fry, stirring constantly, until it is brown all over.
- Add paprika powder while stirring to avoid getting it burnt.
- Let everything simmer in juices released from the meat, and add finely chopped garlic, ground caraway seeds, bay leaf, salt and pepper.
- Pour water just enough to cover the meat. Lower the heat to medium low, cover, and cook for min of 1.5 hours.
- In the meantime, peal the potatoes, carrots, parsnip and celery root, and cut into 0.5cm cubes. Add veggies to the pot and stir to combine.
- Pour 750 ml liters of water to the pot, stir, and cook on medium heat for 30min or until the vegetables are done.
- Add the tomato paste and stir to dissolve it.
- Add sliced pepper and let it all cook uncovered for another 10-15 minutes.
- If the soup is too thick you can add more water; taste for salt and pepper and adjust accordingly.
- Serve hot goulash with warm freshly baked bread.
Bonus Tips for Hungarian Goulash (Gulyás) Soup
- Goulash is often cooked with csipetke (Hungarian pinched noodles). Best are freshly made (see the recipe e.g. here), but can also be store bought. They are dropped to the simmering soup when it’s done and cooked for 5-7 minutes.