Hungarian Goulash was a traditional “family” recipe, so there are always minor variations. Some of these related to available ingredients while others referred to individual likes or dislikes in family members.
Hungarian Goulash is not a stew – it is a soup. One of the most important ingredients is the paprika. Try to get the genuine Hungarian if you can. By the way, it is Goulash – not Ghoulash! The latter is made from a recipe from Transylvania.
| Ingredients | Serves 6 |
| Beef chuck | 1 kg. |
| Onions, white or yellow | 2 |
| Potatoes peeled and diced | 4 |
| Salt | 1 tspn |
| Lard or shortening | 2 tbspn |
| Sweet paprika | 2 tbspn |
| Bay leaves | 2 |
| Water | 1 liter |
| Black pepper | ¼ tspn |
Cooking Method
Cut beef into 2.5 cm cubes and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of salt. Chop onions and brown them in the shortening in a cooking pot. Now add the beef and paprika, moving the cubes around to brown all sides.
Turn the heat right down and let the beef simmer in its own juice along with salt and paprika for one hour.
Add the water, diced potatoes, bay leaves, pepper and remaining salt. Cover and simmer until potatoes are done and meat is tender. This should be done slowly and more water added if the consistency gets too thick. Remember that this is a soup!
