“Alföldi” Goulash Soup - Alföldi Gulyásleves

Serves 6 · Prep 45 min · Cook 1.5–3 hours · One-pot Hungarian classic

Goulash is the most famous Hungarian dish — a rich one-pot soup usually made with beef (often substituted with pork), deep red from real Hungarian paprika. It can be cooked over an open fire in a traditional kettle called a bogrács, which makes it a brilliant addition to a barbecue. Vegan and vegetarian variations are at the bottom of the recipe.

Ingredients

• 100 g (3.5 oz) lard, vegetable oil or olive oil
• 250 g (8.8 oz) yellow onions, finely diced
• 20 g (0.7 oz) sweet Hungarian paprika powder — or a sweet & hot mix to taste
• 800 g (28.2 oz) diced beef or pork
• 30 g (1.1 oz) salt
• Black pepper to taste (about ¼ teaspoon)
• 1 teaspoon whole caraway seeds
• 50 g (1.8 oz) garlic, minced
• 200 g (7.1 oz) carrot, sliced
• 100 g (3.5 oz) parsnip, sliced
• 600 g (21.2 oz) potatoes, cut into large cubes (2–2.5 cm)
• 100 g (3.5 oz) green pepper, cored and diced
• 100 g (3.5 oz) tomatoes, diced

“Csipetke” – pinched pasta (optional):

• 1 whole egg
• 120–150 g (4.5 oz) plain flour — the dough should be thick and gluey
• 1–2 pinches of salt

Gluten-free? Skip the csipetke — the soup is complete without it — or stir in cooked gluten-free pasta at the end.

Short on time? Our Hungarian goulash paste combines the paprika, onion and spice base in one jar — brown the meat, stir it in, add water and vegetables.

Method

1. Add the lard or oil to the pot and heat it up.
2. Add the finely diced onions and sauté on medium-high heat until golden brown.
3. Set the heat to low and let the pot cool a little, then add the Hungarian paprika powder and mix well. Cook for 1 minute on low heat — scorched paprika turns bitter.
4. Add the diced meat, set medium heat and add a quarter cup of water. Cook covered until the meat changes colour, adding more water if needed and stirring every couple of minutes (15–20 minutes).
5. Add the caraway seeds and garlic, remove the lid, turn the heat up to medium-high and cook until the water evaporates, stirring continuously.
6. When the water has evaporated and the meat starts to fry in the fat, add the sliced carrots and parsnip and fry for a couple of minutes.
7. Add the diced green pepper and tomatoes, then pour in water until it covers everything, plus a little more — the potatoes will go in later.
8. Add the salt and black pepper to taste.
9. Cook until the meat is nearly tender (about 20 minutes before done), then add the potatoes and cook until they are soft. Top up with water if needed.
10. Meanwhile make the pinched pasta: beat 1 egg in a bowl, add 120 g (4.5 oz) plain flour and a couple of pinches of salt, and mix. If it is too soft, add flour; for more pasta, add another egg and flour — no water. The dough should be thick and gluey:
    
11. When the potatoes are cooked and the soup is boiling, pinch kidney-bean-sized pieces of dough into the soup with a small oiled spoon. Cook for a minute or two — they float to the top when done. Keep the soup loose; it should not be thick. (You can also cook the csipetke separately in salted boiling water and stir them in.)

I hope you enjoy the cooking and the food. Preparation takes about 45 minutes, plus 1–3 hours of cooking depending on how tender the meat is.

Vegan & vegetarian version

Substitute the meat with textured soy protein cubes or seitan; cook for at least 45 minutes to develop the flavours. The pinched pasta can be made without eggs: use the strongest white wheat flour you can find (13 g protein per 100 g or more), cook the dumplings separately in salted water — make nearly double the amount, as some will disintegrate — then strain, rinse under the tap and stir into the soup. It also works fine with no pasta at all.