Gulyás — Hungarian Goulash Soup

About This Recipe

The authentic Hungarian gulyás (pronounced GOO-yash) is not the thick, flour-thickened stew that bears its name in the West. The original is a clear, paprika-rich soup: tender pieces of beef simmered with onion, generous sweet paprika, caraway seeds, potato and csipetke (tiny pinched noodles) in a beef broth of great depth. The dish originated with Hungarian herdsmen (gulyás = herdsman) on the Great Plain (puszta), who would slow-cook beef in a kettle (bogrács) over an open fire. The key distinction is the quality of paprika — Hungary's prized sweet paprika is essential, giving the soup its beautiful red-orange colour and warm, complex flavour. No flour, no cream — just meat, paprika and patience.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 800 gbeef chuck or shin(diced 3cm)
• 3 tablespoonsvegetable oil or lard
• 2 largeonions(diced)
• 3 tablespoonssweet Hungarian paprika
• 0.5 teaspoonhot paprika or cayenne
• 1 teaspooncaraway seeds
• 3 clovesgarlic(minced)
• 2 mediumtomatoes(diced)
• 1 largegreen bell pepper(diced)
• 1.5 litresbeef stock or water
• 3 mediumpotatoes(diced)
• 1 teaspoonsalt
• 100 gplain flour(for csipetke)
• 1egg(for csipetke)

Instructions

1. 1

   Fry onions and paprika

   Heat lard or oil in a large pot over medium heat. Fry diced onion until golden, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat, add paprika and caraway seeds, stir 1 minute. The off-heat step prevents the paprika from burning.

   Never add paprika to very hot fat — it burns in seconds and becomes bitter. Always add it off the heat or in a briefly cooled pan.

2. 2

   Brown the beef

   Return to medium-high heat. Add beef pieces and brown all over, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, tomatoes and green pepper.

3. 3

   Simmer

   Add stock and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low. Simmer covered for 1.5 hours until beef is very tender.

4. 4

   Add potato and csipetke

   Add diced potato. For csipetke: mix flour and egg into a stiff dough, pinch off tiny pieces and add directly to the simmering soup. Cook 20 more minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Variations

• •

  Pörkölt is the thick meat stew version (more meat, less liquid) that is often called 'goulash' in the West.

• •

  Lamb gulyás is popular in the puszta region.

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

• •

  Spicier: add a finely chopped fresh chile or a teaspoon of crushed Aleppo/Urfa pepper to the aromatics for warm, layered heat instead of a single sharp hit.

Storage

Refrigerate for up to 4 days. The flavour improves overnight. Add stock when reheating if too thick.

Frequently Asked Questions