Hungarian Beef Goulash (Gulyás)
Rich, flavorful, nutritious.
Hungarian Beef Goulash (Gulyás) is the quintessential dish that most represents Hungary, as it varies from region to region in terms of being more or less brothy. Easy to prepare, goulash is a stew that closely resembles our stew in appearance but has a completely different flavor. Goulash has a unique taste and aroma given by the spices. Tender, juicy, and very tasty, it is a very nutritious dish that is excellent served as a main dish or as a second course.
Hungarian Beef Goulash originated in the Middle Ages and owes its name to the herdsmen who prepared it to nourish and warm themselves on long journeys as they transported their herds to the markets of Vienna, Venice, Nuremberg. It later entered bourgeois homes, becoming the dish that most represents Hungary. In any restaurant you visit in Hungary, you’ll always find this delicious and succulent dish on the menu. I first ate goulash in the beautiful Budapest, and I later returned for several days, trying it in various restaurants where it was served creamy like my version, accompanied by mashed potatoes or very brothy served as a main dish with bread. In both versions, it is very tasty, a dish to try 🙂
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 4 people
- Cooking methods: Slow cooking
- Cuisine: Hungarian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
Ingredients
- 2.2 lbs chuck roast (or eye round, or top round)
- 1.1 lbs potatoes
- 2 carrots
- 3 onions
- 7.05 oz tomato puree
- 0.7 oz sweet paprika
- Half tablespoon hot paprika
- Half tablespoon cumin seeds
- 2 leaves bay leaves
- 3 grains pepper
- as needed beef broth (hot)
- 1 clove garlic
- 1.76 oz lard (or extra virgin olive oil)
- as needed salt
Tools
- 1 Knife
- 1 Pan
- 1 Cutting Board
Steps
Cut the meat into chunks about 1.8 inches per side.
Peel the onions and slice them thinly.
Peel and chop the garlic.
Place half of the lard in a large pan and melt it over low heat, add the onions and stew them, once they are stewed, set them aside in a bowl.
In the same pan without washing it, melt the other half of the lard, add the meat chunks and brown them well on all sides.
Once the meat is well browned on all sides, remove the pan from the heat momentarily, add the previously stewed onions and the aromas, then the bay leaves, crushed pepper grains, garlic, cumin (you can also crush it if you like), and both sweet and hot paprika, stir for a minute to mix the spices well with the meat (do this step away from the heat to prevent the paprika from burning and becoming bitter).
Also add the tomato puree and 2 ladles of beef broth, stir and return to the heat on high flame, covered with a lid (you can also add 1 bell pepper cut into chunks), once it reaches a boil, lower the flame and cook for about an hour and a half on very low heat, stirring occasionally.
If additional hot broth is needed during cooking, add it.
While the meat cooks, peel the potatoes and cut them into chunks.
Clean the carrots and cut them into chunks as well.
After the meat’s cooking time, when it’s almost cooked, you can add the carrots and potatoes, also add a little more hot broth, salt, cover with the lid, and cook for another 30 minutes.
At this point, the meat and potatoes should be tender, check with a fork’s tines, the potatoes should be cooked but not mushy, check the salt and ensure the mixture is not dry; if more broth is needed, add it, and cook for another 5 minutes.
Our Hungarian Beef Goulash is ready, serve it nice and hot accompanied by mashed potatoes.
Note: As mentioned, this is the creamier version of Goulash. If you prefer the soupier version, the procedure is the same, just halve the ingredient amounts and be much more generous with the broth; In the end, you should obtain a very brothy soup with little meat and vegetables.
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