Hortobágyi Pancakes

Named after an iconic region in the Great Hungarian Plain, this savory pancake features chicken with a sour cream and paprika sauce.

The first recipe for this dish appeared almost a hundred years ago. Originally it was made with different minced meats and served as an appetizer. Today it is mostly made with chicken, served as a main and is one of the most popular traditional dishes in Hungary. Veal and mushroom versions also exist.

Ingredients

• 500g filleted skinless chicken legs

• 1 medium onion

• 1 tomato

• 1 small Hungarian wax pepper

• 2 cloves of garlic

• 2 tablespoons lard

• 3 tablespoons sour cream

• 1 tablespoon flour

• Salt, pepper

• 1 tablespoon Hencher sweet paprika

Ingredients for pancake:

• 200g flour

• 2 eggs

• 300ml milk

• 250ml sparkling water

• 2 tablespoons oil

• Salt

• + a bit of oil to grease the pan

Preparing the filling:

1. Dice the meat. Prepare the vegetables: peel and dice the onions. Remove the core of the wax pepper and chop them along with the tomato. Peel and crush the garlic with a garlic press.

2. Heat the fat and add the diced onion. Stir frequently and cook on high heat until translucent. Stir in the crushed garlic and sauté for half a minute.

3. Add the chopped paprika and tomato. Season with salt, pepper, paprika. Stir and sauté until the liquid from the vegetables boils off.

4. Keep the heat on high. Add meat to the mix and cook until white. Add 200-250ml water. Cook until water boils off. Add 500ml water and boil it off until you have a thick sauce.

5. When meat is cooked, remove and cut into smaller pieces. Add 100ml of the liquid from the pot. Stir and set aside.

6. Reduce heat under the sauce in the pot. Mix flour and sour cream with 1-2 tablespoons of sauce. Stir well.

7. Pour the mixture into the sauce, keep stirring and cook until a creamy consistency (2-3 minutes). If you still see clumps in the sauce, use a hand mixer.

Preparing the pancake:

1. Crack the 2 eggs into a bowl. Whisk until a bit frothy.

2. Add flour and milk in bits. Add flour and whisk it into the eggs until there are no lumps then add some milk and mix again, then repeat.

3. Add oil and a bit of salt. Mix well. Add sparkling water and whisk to a smooth batter.

4. Heat a pan and grease it with a bit of oil. Pour in a ladleful of batter and spread it evenly.

5. Cook for 1-2 minutes then flip and cook the other side as well. Use up all the batter for the pancakes.

Plating

Place two tablespoons of meat on pancake. Fold in sides and roll up. Cover pancake with sauce. Finish with a dab of sour cream and parsley.