Goulash - The Soup

In traditional Hungarian cuisine goulash is a soup. It shares the paprika infused base with the stew but there are some differences.

If you order a goulash in a Hungarian restaurant as a tourist, the waiter might ask if you refer to this soup version or 'pörkölt' - the stew. Indeed, the two dishes have a lot in common. There are many ways to prepare this soup and the paprika infused base is a key element.

Ingredients

• 0.5 kg (1 pound) beef shank or bottom sirloin

• 2-3 cloves of garlic

• 2 onions

• 1 medium Hungarian Wax Pepper (or substitute with any sweet pepper)

• 2 tomatoes

• ½ celery root

• 2 medium carrots

• 2 tablespoons lard

• 1 tablespoon Hencher Sweet Paprika powder

• ½ teaspoon salt

• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper

• ½ teaspoon ground caraway seeds

Preparation

1. Rinse beef and remove membrane. Dice it into small cubes and set aside.

2. Prepare the vegetables: Peel and chop the celery and carrots. Peel and dice the onion into thin pieces. Remove the Hungarian wax pepper’s core and dice it along with the tomatoes. Peel the garlic and crush it with a garlic press.

3. Start heating the lard in a pot. Add the diced onion and sauté it on high heat stirring frequently until translucent. Stir in the crushed garlic and sauté for another 30 seconds.

4. Add the diced Hungarian wax pepper and tomatoes. Season with salt, black pepper and caraway seeds then sauté until the liquid from the vegetables boils off.

5. Remember to maintain high heat throughout cooking this version of “pörkölt” as it will result in a more tender beef (there is another version that can simmer slowly on low heat). Add beef to the pot and sear it until it turns whiteish. Add 200-250 ml (ca. 1 cup) water. Boil until water reduces almost completely. Add same amount of water again and let it boil off. Repeat this step so at the end you have boiled off the water three times.

6. Once the last addition of water has boiled off, add 1 tablespoon of Hencher sweet paprika. Stir and sauté for just 30 seconds.

7. Add celery root and carrots. Stir and pour in about 1.5 liter (ca. 1.5 quart) of water. Reduce heat to medium and cook for another 30-45 minutes.