Hungary · Soup · Medium
Beef goulash (gulyásleves)
Hungary's paprika beef soup with root vegetables, potatoes and csipetke
A brothy Hungarian soup-stew of beef shin simmered with onions softened in lard, plenty of sweet paprika, caraway, root vegetables and potatoes, finished with tiny pinched egg noodles called csipetke. Taking the pot off the heat before the paprika goes in keeps it sweet and brick-red instead of bitter, and the slow simmer turns the shin tender while its collagen gives the broth body.
- Energy
- 575 kcalper serving
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 2 h 30 min
- Rest
- 10 min
- Protein
- 39 g
How was it?
Equipment
- Heavy casserole or stockpot (at least 5 l), with lid
- Wooden spoon
- Sharp knife and board
- Small bowl for the csipetke dough
- Ladle
Before you start
- Cut the beef into 2 cm cubes and pat it dry with kitchen paper.
- Dice the onions finely; chop the garlic and crush the caraway.
- Cut the carrots, parsley root and celeriac into 1 cm cubes and the potatoes into 2 cm cubes; keep the potatoes in cold water.
- Peel and dice the tomato, slice the peppers, and heat a kettle of water.
Method
-
Soften the onions
40 g lard400 g onionsMelt the lard in the pot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for 10–12 minutes, stirring often.
Done when The onions are soft, translucent and pale golden, and smell sweet; they have not browned at the edges.
-
Seal the beef
1 kg beef shinRaise the heat to medium-high, add the beef and stir for 8–10 minutes until it has lost its raw colour on all sides.
Done when The beef is grey-brown all over and the juices it released have mostly evaporated, so the pan sizzles again.
Tip Gulyás beef is sealed, not deeply browned. The flavour comes from the onion and paprika.
-
Add the paprika off the heat
3 cloves garlic3 tbsp sweet Hungarian paprika1 tsp caraway seedsTake the pot off the heat and wait 30 seconds. Stir in the garlic, paprika and caraway for 20–30 seconds until every piece of beef is coated.
Done when The meat is coated in a brick-red paste and the kitchen smells of sweet pepper, with no acrid, burnt note.
Tip Paprika burns in seconds over direct heat and turns bitter and brown. If it darkens, there is no fixing it.
-
Simmer the meat
2 l water10 g fine salt½ tsp black pepperPour in 1 litre of the hot water at once, add the salt and pepper and return the pot to the heat. Bring to a simmer, then cover and cook over low heat for 75 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Done when The surface trembles with small bubbles only; the beef is starting to give but still firm in the centre when pierced.
Tip A hard boil makes the meat stringy and clouds the broth. Keep it at a bare simmer.
-
Add the root vegetables
200 g carrots120 g parsley root80 g celeriac2 l waterAdd the carrots, parsley root, celeriac and the remaining water. Return to a simmer and cook uncovered over low heat for 20 minutes.
Done when The root vegetables are just tender at the edges and the broth is a clear, glossy red with drops of orange fat on top.
-
Add the potatoes and pepper
600 g waxy potatoes1 ripe tomato2 Hungarian wax peppersDrain the potatoes and add them with the tomato and peppers. Simmer over low heat for 18–20 minutes.
Done when A knife slides through a potato cube with no resistance and the beef flakes when pressed with a spoon.
-
Make the csipetke dough
70 g plain flour1 egg1 pinch saltMix the flour, egg and salt in the small bowl and knead for 2–3 minutes into a stiff dough. Add a few drops of water only if it will not come together.
Done when The dough is firm, smooth and dry to the touch, like modelling clay, and does not stick to your fingers.
Tip If the soup is not going to be eaten all at once, cook the csipetke separately in salted water so they do not swell and turn soggy in the leftovers.
-
Pinch in the csipetke
Flatten the dough between your palms and pinch off pieces the size of a fingernail straight into the simmering soup. Simmer over medium-low heat for 4–5 minutes.
Done when The csipetke float to the surface, look slightly swollen and are firm but not floury when bitten.
-
Season and rest
10 g fine saltTaste and add salt if needed. Take the pot off the heat and let it stand, covered, for 10 minutes before serving.
Done when The broth tastes rounded and sweetly peppery, and the fat has settled as a thin red layer on top.
Common mistakes
The goulash tastes bitter and the colour is brown, not red.
Fix The paprika burned. Always take the pot off the heat before adding it, and add the water straight after.
The beef is tough and stringy.
Fix It boiled too hard or was not cooked long enough. Keep a bare simmer and give shin the full time; chuck may need 15 minutes less.
It turned into a thick stew.
Fix Gulyás is a soup. Top up with hot water as it cooks so the meat and vegetables stay covered by broth.
The potatoes have fallen apart.
Fix They went in too early or are a floury variety. Use waxy potatoes and add them only in the last 20 minutes.
Serving
Ladle into deep warm bowls with plenty of broth. Serve with crusty white bread and, for those who like heat, Hungarian hot paprika paste (Erős Pista) or fresh hot pepper rings at the table.
Storage and reheating
Cool within 2 hours and keep covered in the fridge for up to 3 days; the flavour improves overnight. Freeze without the potatoes and csipetke for up to 3 months. Reheat over medium heat until simmering throughout.
Make ahead
The whole soup can be made 1 day ahead; leave out the csipetke and make them fresh while it reheats.
Variations
Bográcsgulyás (cauldron goulash)
Cook it outdoors in a kettle over a wood fire, keeping the fire low once the water goes in. Add a few slices of smoked bacon to the lard at the start.
Pörkölt style
For a thick stew rather than a soup, leave out the root vegetables, potatoes and most of the water; add only enough water to keep the beef just moist and serve it with nokedli.
Vegetarian mushroom goulash
Replace the beef with 800 g of mixed chestnut and portobello mushrooms in 3 cm pieces and use sunflower oil instead of lard. Brown the mushrooms well, use vegetable stock instead of water and shorten the first simmer to 15 minutes.
