Székelygulyás (Szeged-Style Sauerkraut Goulash)

About This Recipe

Székelygulyás — also called Szegedin goulash — is the sauerkraut sister of Hungary's classic beef gulyás. Pork shoulder is slow-cooked with mountains of onion, sweet Hungarian paprika, caraway, and bay until tender, then finished with rinsed sauerkraut and a generous swirl of sour cream that gives the stew its signature pale-pink color. The result is rich, tangy, slightly smoky, and warming — exactly what a Hungarian winter calls for. Despite the 'Székely' name (which means Transylvanian Hungarian), the dish was popularized by Pest writer József Székely in the 1840s, who supposedly invented it from leftovers at a tavern. Served with crusty rye bread or buttered nokedli.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 900 gpork shoulder, cut into 3 cm cubes
• 60 gpork lard or neutral oil
• 3 largeyellow onions, finely chopped
• 3 tbspsweet Hungarian paprika (Édesnemes)
• 1 tsphot Hungarian paprika (optional)
• 1 tbspcaraway seeds, lightly crushed
• 5 clovesgarlic, minced
• 2 tbsptomato paste
• 2bay leaves
• 1 tspfine salt
• 1 tspfreshly ground black pepper
• 500 mlwater or light pork stock
• 700 ggood-quality sauerkraut, drained and rinsed once
• 200 mlsour cream
• 1 tbspall-purpose flour (for thickening sour cream)
• 1 small bunchfresh dill, chopped (garnish)
• rye bread or buttered nokedli to serve

Instructions

1. 1

   Brown the pork

   Heat lard in a heavy pot over medium-high. Brown pork cubes in batches until deeply golden, 8 minutes per batch. Set aside.

2. 2

   Slow-cook the onions

   Lower heat to medium-low. Add chopped onions with a pinch of salt. Cook 18 minutes, stirring often, until very soft, golden, and slightly jammy. This is the heart of the dish — do not rush.

3. 3

   Bloom paprika OFF the heat

   Pull the pot off the heat. Sprinkle in sweet paprika (and hot if using), caraway, and garlic. Stir vigorously — paprika should sizzle and turn deep red but not scorch.

4. 4

   Build the braise

   Return to the heat. Stir in tomato paste, cook 2 minutes. Return browned pork and any juices. Add bay leaves, salt, pepper, and water/stock. Bring to a gentle simmer.

5. 5

   Slow simmer

   Cover and simmer on the lowest heat for 90 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pork is fork-tender. Add a splash of water if the pan looks dry.

6. 6

   Add the sauerkraut

   Stir in the rinsed sauerkraut. Simmer 20 more minutes, uncovered, until the kraut has softened and absorbed flavor. Taste; adjust salt and paprika.

7. 7

   Make the sour cream tempering

   Whisk sour cream with flour in a small bowl. Temper by whisking in 3 tbsp of the hot stew, then 3 more. This prevents the cream from breaking when it hits the pot.

8. 8

   Finish and serve

   Stir the tempered sour cream into the stew. Warm gently for 2 minutes — do not boil. Sprinkle with dill. Serve in deep bowls with rye bread or nokedli, with extra sour cream on the side for those who want it.

Variations

• •

  Use smoked pork shoulder for a smokier, more Slovakian-style version.

• •

  Add a handful of cooked white beans for a hearty heartiness — common in Burgenland.

• •

  Replace pork with venison shoulder in autumn — extraordinary.

Storage

Refrigerate up to 4 days; freezes 2 months. Reheat gently; never boil hard after the sour cream is in (it splits).

Frequently Asked Questions