An Authentic Hungarian Goulash Recipe

When I think of Eastern European food I think of goulash. It’s hands down my favorite dish from that part of the world. If you’re not familiar with goulash, it’s a hearty tomato-based stew made with Hungarian paprika. It’s a common staple in Hungarian cuisine, but can also be found in other eastern European countries as well as Germany and Austria. I’ve cooked many iterations of this dish over the years and I have come down to a pretty good recipe that I think beats anything you’ll find online outside of Eastern Europe.  

The secret to quality goulash is Hungarian paprika. You can’t just use any paprika spice you bought from the store. You shouldn’t even use paprika you got from another European country. I have Polish paprika too and I don’t use that for Goulash. I don’t know what it is about Hungarian paprika but they make it differently over there. So to make proper goulash, you need to get your hands on some. 

HOW TO GET HUNGARIAN PAPRIKA

Online is your best bet. Amazon sells various Hungarian paprikas imported from Hungary. Do not get anything that says “Hungarian style”. It must be imported from Hungary. It will be expensive but it’s worth it. There are two types: sweet and spicy. My recipe calls for both. 

Personally, I have a stash of it that I asked a friend to get when he was in Budapest. When I visited Budapest myself I mistakenly only bought 3 100-gram bags. That didn’t last long. I now have 6 100-gram bags and hope it lasts a while. When I lived in Amsterdam I used to ask my Hungarian coworker to bring me some every time she went home to Budapest. Think outside the box!

SUBSTITUTIONS

My recipe calls for lamb because my wife is from India and that’s just how I make it now. Traditionally goulash is made with beef, but I personally prefer it with lamb. I also use vegetable broth instead of beef broth, which is again more traditional. You can substitute beef broth as you wish. 

WHAT TO HAVE IT WITH

Like other hearty meals like Guinness stew, Hungarian goulash is served as a soup or a stew. My recipe is a heartier stew, so you’ll want to eat it over noodles or rice. My recommendation is European noodles, such as a spätzle or a traditional German egg noodle. If you don’t have that you can also have it over normal spaghetti or rice. German egg noodles are found in most major grocery stores though, so I highly recommend that. If you wish to have it as a soup, forgo the tomato paste and don’t let it simmer as long.

Hungarian Goulash

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Serves: 6 Prep Time: 20 min Cooking Time: 1.5-2.5 hours 1.5-2.5 hours

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 2 voted )

Ingredients

• ¼ cup Hungarian sweet paprika
• 1 tbsp Hungarian spicy paprika
• 1 16oz can diced tomatoes
• ½ can tomato paste (8oz can)
• 3 cups vegetable broth or stock
• 3 large white potatoes
• ⅔ pound carrots
• 2 medium onions
• 1 ½ pound lamb
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp basil flakes
• Salt and pepper as you see fit
• Butter or olive oil for cooking

Instructions

1. Chop onions, carrots, and peeled potatoes into bite size pieces and set aside. Remove fat from lamb and chop into similar sized pieces.
2. Melt butter in a large pan or heat olive oil. Add onions and cook until they start to brown. Add the lamb and cook until the edges of the lamb are brown. Add additional olive oil as needed to keep from sticking. 
3. Add half of the paprika, both sweet and spicy and stir.
4. Add about 1 cup of broth and stir rapidly. Toss in the remaining paprika along with the garlic and basil flakes. Once mixed, add the remaining broth with the chopped tomatoes and the tomato paste. Stir well. Add salt and pepper as desired. 
5. Add the potatoes and carrots and stir well, making sure all the tomato paste is blended with the broth. Bring to a boil. 
6. Cover and reduce heat to low. Let the stew simmer for approximately 1.5 hours, longer if you want a thicker stew, stirring occasionally.
7. Serve over German egg noodles or a carb of your liking. Enjoy!