A recipe from Gemo
Hungarian Goulash Soup
A paprika-rich Hungarian beef soup with slow-cooked onions, tender beef, caraway, sweet pepper, carrots, and potatoes. It is hearty enough for dinner but stays brothy and red-gold, not thickened like a generic beef stew.
Method
- 01
Cut the beef into 3 cm cubes and pat it dry. Finely chop the onions, chop the garlic, lightly crush the caraway seeds, dice the pepper and tomato, slice the carrots, and cut the potatoes into large cubes so they hold their shape.
- 02
Heat 2 tablespoons oil or lard in a heavy pot over medium-low heat. Add the 3 onions with a pinch of the salt and cook slowly, stirring often, until soft, glossy, and lightly golden but not browned.
⏱ 18 min
- 03
Take the pot off the heat. Stir in 3 tablespoons sweet paprika, the garlic, 1 teaspoon crushed caraway, 0.5 teaspoon black pepper, and a splash of the hot water, then return the pot to medium heat. Add the beef and cook, stirring, until the pieces lose their raw color and are well coated in the paprika-onion base.
⏱ 8 min
- 04
Add the diced pepper, tomato, bay leaves, remaining salt, and enough of the 1.5 liters hot water to cover the beef by a few centimeters. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover partly, and cook until the beef is nearly tender, adding a little more water if the level drops too much.
⏱ 80 min
- 05
Add the 2 carrots and 500 g potatoes. Continue simmering gently, uncovered or partly covered, until the vegetables are tender and the beef is soft enough to cut with a spoon. The broth should be generous, red, and lightly thickened only by the onions and potatoes.
⏱ 30 min
- 06
Remove the bay leaves, taste, and adjust salt and pepper. Rest the goulash off the heat for 10 minutes, then serve in deep bowls with parsley and bread. Offer hot pepper separately if desired rather than making the whole pot spicy.
⏱ 10 min
Nutrition
