There is more than one type of Hungarian goulash – 5 recipes for you to try out

Goulash is one of the most famous Hungarian dishes. As Hungarian dishes gained some popularity over recent years, it is being served in more and more places around the world. Unfortunately, due to the coronavirus pandemic that struck the world, it is almost impossible to travel or to go to a good restaurant, so if you crave some Hungarian flavours, in this article you will find five recipes for you to try out at home and get to know the many flavours of goulash there can be.

As in the case of almost all good home-cooked meals, every family has its own little tweaks and twerks. Well, this is the case concerning the Hungarian goulash. While it is mostly the traditional goulash that conquered the tastebuds of the world, there are many variants of the dish from different parts of the country or depending on what is at home. Now let us move on to the recipes.

Traditional goulash

Although the traditional Hungarian goulash is best in a ’Hungarian pot’ or kettle (bogrács), this might not be possible because the weather can be quite chilly this time of the year, but do not worry; it can be just as tasty when cooked on the stove. You can adjust this base recipe however you like. Some people add diced green pepper, tomatoes, or more vegetables like turnip, you could add more meat if you want. You could make it with less water or leave it on a bit longer if you prefer your goulash thicker, more like a stew. Feel free to experiment and come up with your own family recipe. The most important thing is quality meat. In my opinion, it is best with some fresh bread to soak up the broth with or to clean those last bits from your plate.

Ingredients:

• 1 kg beef (shank or crop)
• 2-3 big onions
• 50 dkg of potatoes
• 3 carrots
• 2 parsley roots
• 1 head garlic
• 2 tablespoons of paprika
• 2 teaspoons of ground caraway seed
• mangalitza or pork fat (lard)
• parsley
• salt and pepper

for the noodles:

• 1 large egg
• 10-12 dkg of flour
• salt

Directions:

Prepare the ingredients; wash and peel the vegetables. Cut the meat into bite-sized cubes. Dice the onions, slice the carrots, parsley roots, and the potatoes. I usually prefer the potato pieces to be bigger than the meat.

Start by adding the lard and onions into the pot. You should cook them until they get glossy or slightly yellowish, but not brown. Add in the garlic as well, stir it and remove the pot from the heat or turn it off for a bit. Add in the meat cubes, the ground caraway seeds, and the paprika powder, and mix it well together. It is important to remove the pot from the heat because if you burn paprika, it becomes bitter. After mixing it together, put it back over the heat and add just a little water if needed. After the water is cooked away, you can season it with salt and pepper.

Add the potatoes, carrots, and parsley roots. It is usually at this step that some people add diced green pepper or tomatoes. You need to add water to cover everything. Now you must be patient as the meat and potatoes can take about 2 hours to cook well. If you want a soup, add some water to the pot as it boils away. Meanwhile, you can prepare the noodles: simply mix the eggs, the flour, and some salt. If everything in the goulash has softened, add in the noodles by tearing bite-sized pieces off from the dough. You need to cook it for ten more minutes, and the meal is ready. Enjoy with a little parsley on top.

Csango goulash (csángó gulyás)

The Csango people are a Hungarian ethnographic group of Roman Catholic faith living mostly in the Romanian region of Moldavia. Their traditional language, Csango, an old Hungarian dialect, is currently used by only a minority of the ethnic group.

The following recipe is from Norecipes: “Cooked in stock with sweet paprika and a bit of caraway, Csango Goulash is traditionally more of a hearty soup than a stew, though you can take it in either direction by adjusting the size of the beef and the amount of liquid. Finished with a dollop of sour cream, it is the ultimate comfort food for a cold winter day”.

Ingredients:

• 650 g beef cheeks (shins or chuck is also good)
• 2 tsp vegetable oil (can use pork or mangalitza lard)
• 270 g onion (~1 large onion, finely chopped)
• 14 g garlic (~2 large cloves, finely minced)
• 50 g peppers (chopped)
• 6 cups vegetable stock
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1 tsp caraway seed
• 1 bay leaf
• 50 g long-grain rice
• 680 g sauerkraut (lightly rinsed)
• sour cream (to serve)

Directions:

“Cut off the excess fat from the meat and dice them up into small cubes. Season it with salt and pepper. A dutch oven or a good quality thick-bottomed pot is recommended. Heat the vegetable over medium heat and add the beef in a single layer. Brown the beef in one side and then flip the pieces over to brown the other side. When this is done, transfer the meat to another bowl and set it aside.