Rajská Omáčka
Sweet-and-sour tomato sauce served over beef and bread dumplings — the comfort food of every Czech childhood.
About This Recipe
Rajská omáčka ('paradise sauce') is the lunchtime sauce that grandmothers across Bohemia have been making for generations: a tomato sauce sweetened with sugar and balanced with vinegar, served thick over slices of boiled beef and bread dumplings. It's the dish Czech expats most miss, the comfort food that defined cafeteria lunches at school.
Ingredients
Serves 4
- 800 gbeef chuck(in one piece)
- 1 largeonion(halved)
- 2carrots
- 1 stalkcelery
- 1.5 Lwater
- 2bay leaves
- 8black peppercorns
- 1 tspsalt
- Sauce:
- 1 mediumonion(finely chopped)
- 60 gbutter
- 60 gplain flour
- 400 gtomato passata
- 60 gtomato paste
- 700 mlreserved beef broth
- 3 tbspsugar(or to taste)
- 2 tbspwhite wine vinegar
- 5allspice berries
- 3cloves
- 1 tspsalt
- Bread dumplings, to serve
Instructions
- 1
Cook beef
Place beef, onion, carrots, celery, water, bay, peppercorns and salt in a pot. Simmer 75–90 min until beef is fork-tender. Lift out beef, cover. Strain broth, reserve.
- 2
Sauté onion
Melt butter in a saucepan. Cook chopped onion 8 min until golden.
- 3
Add flour
Stir in flour. Cook 2 minutes — don't let it brown too much.
- 4
Add tomato
Stir in passata and tomato paste. Cook 3 min.
- 5
Add broth
Whisk in reserved beef broth gradually until smooth.
- 6
Spice and balance
Add allspice, cloves, salt, sugar. Simmer 20 minutes, stirring often. Stir in vinegar. Taste — should be distinctly sweet-sour. Adjust sugar/vinegar.
- 7
Strain
For silky restaurant texture, strain the sauce. For home version, leave as is.
- 8
Serve
Slice beef thickly. Plate with sauce poured over and around, with 4 slices of bread dumpling.
Did you make this?
Rate it and help other cooks find the recipes that actually work.
One tap to sign in, and we'll save the rating you just picked.
Everything you need to plan your week — free
- Meal calendar
- Grocery list
- AI recipe ideas
Track what you eat
Snap your meal to log calories and macros, run fasting timers and track water in the free SnapCal app.
Pro Tips
- →
The allspice and cloves are subtle but defining — don't skip them.
- →
Always taste and adjust the sugar-vinegar balance to your liking.
Variations
- •
Use ground beef in the sauce instead of sliced — quicker family version
- •
Add 1 lemon slice in step 6 for citrus brightness
- •
Substitute pork shoulder for beef
Storage
Refrigerate 4 days. Sauce thickens — loosen with broth on reheat.
History & Origin
Rajská omáčka emerged in late 19th century Bohemian household cookbooks, when canned tomato passata became widely available. It was elevated to school cafeteria status in communist-era Czechoslovakia and still evokes powerful childhood nostalgia for Czechs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sweet or sour leading?
It should be subtly sweet with a sour edge — like sweet-and-sour Chinese sauces but with Eastern European spicing.
Without making broth — use stock?
Yes — use 700ml beef stock and skip the broth-making step. Cook the beef separately in stock.
Can I use ground beef instead of a whole roast?
Yes — brown 500g ground beef in the sauce directly instead of poaching a whole cut. It's quicker but loses the tender sliced-beef presentation.
How do I stop the sauce from going lumpy?
Whisk the flour into the softened onion before adding any liquid, and add the broth gradually while whisking — that's what keeps it silky.
Nutrition Facts
Per serving · 4 servings total
Time Summary
Have Questions?
Ask our AI cooking assistant anything about this recipe — substitutions, techniques, scaling.
Chat with AI Chef →Featured in Guides
This recipe is featured in the following curated guides:
More Czech Recipes
You Might Also Like
Similar dishes from other cuisines around the world.
Browse by Ingredient
More recipes built around the same core ingredients.
Free Kitchen Tools
Calculators and converters that pair with this page — no signup needed.
Put This Into a Plan
Schedule it, shop for it, and track what you already have.
Read Next
Longer reads that go deeper on the ideas behind this dish.
Community
Join the conversation
Sign in to leave a comment and save your favourite recipes