Hungarian Goulash
Updated Sept. 15, 2023

- Total Time
- 1 hour 45 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
Advertisement
Ingredients
- 2teaspoons unsalted butter
- 2medium onions, peeled and thinly sliced
- 2tablespoons sweet Hungarian paprika
- 1teaspoon caraway seeds
- 1pound beef stewing meat, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
- ¼cup all-purpose flour
- 2cups beef broth, homemade or low-sodium canned
- 1tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
- ¼teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Preparation
- Step 1
Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until wilted, about 10 minutes. Stir in the paprika and caraway seeds and cook 1 minute more. In a bowl, toss the beef with the flour to coat well. Add the beef to the onion mixture. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.
- Step 2
Add ½ cup of the broth, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot. Gradually stir in the remaining broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a slow simmer. Cover and cook until the beef is tender, about 1½ hours. Stir in the lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. Serve over wide egg noodles.
Private Notes
Comments
As a Hungarian, I am cooking goulash all the time. This recipe is the closest I have ever read in an English language description.
However, I never used lemon juice or flour. But more onion, never sliced but chopped, 1 small fresh tomato and a slice of yellow or green pepper. We always serve it with gnocchi, or boiled potato.
There is one essential thing to know about Hungarian cooking: never just stir in the paprika: always pull the pot off the heat, stir in the paprika, then return to heat. Otherwise your food will taste bitter!
Just wondering: Why use low sodium broth and then add two teaspoons of salt???? that's a lot of salt? I'll probably go with regular broth.
Last time we had goulash this good, we were eating at a famous Hungarian restaurant in Boston. I modified the ingredients because I wanted to use left over prime rib cut into small pieces. I used a single clove of grated garlic which was added with the paprika and caraway seeds. This dish was sweet & lovely! We will make it again!
I’ve made this 3 times in the past month, it’s a winter crowd pleaser. I took the suggestions of the others and add carrots and a couple diced tomatoes. Also- I double the recipe because everyone goes back for seconds!
This recipe is a big winner, but like every goulash I’ve ever made, it’s much better on the second day. So if you eat it on day one and think it’s just a little bland, give it a day. I love this recipe because it is supremely simple, but it doesn’t have enough onions so add at least one more.
Advertisement