Gulyás

Gulyás © kvalifood.com

Gulyás is a Hungarian-inspired beef stew that has become a staple of the Danish everyday kitchen. The original Hungarian version is a thin soup; here it is a thick, hearty stew with paprika, onions and tomatoes. The key is plenty of sweet paprika that blooms in the fat before any liquid is added. The flavour improves the day after.

Ingredients

Yields 4 servings

  • 500–600 g beef (chuck, topside, oxtail or shoulder), cut into cubes
  • 30 g butter (or lard)
  • 2 dl onion, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 1–2 tsp sweet paprika
  • salt, pepper
  • optional: 1/2 tsp caraway seeds
  • 4 tinned whole tomatoes, roughly chopped
  • 4 dl stock

Accompaniments

  • mashed potatoes
  • salad

Directions

Browning

Brown the fat in a heavy-bottomed pot over high heat. Brown the meat in 2 batches — an overfilled pot steams rather than browns. Remove the meat with a slotted spoon.

Onions and spices

Sauté the chopped onions in the same pot until soft and golden — add a little more fat if needed. Add the garlic, paprika and caraway (if using) and stir for 30 seconds until the spices are fragrant and active.

Braising

Return the meat to the pot. Add the tomatoes and stock. Bring to the boil and skim. Reduce the heat and put the lid on. Let the stew simmer gently until the meat is tender — about 45–60 minutes for chuck and oxtail, 60–90 minutes for topside and shoulder. Top up with a little stock during cooking if needed.

Serve

Season with salt and pepper and serve with mashed potatoes and salad. A dollop of sour cream on the side is optional.

Notes

  • Use sweet Hungarian paprika — it gives a noticeably deeper flavour than the generic supermarket variety
  • The paprika must bloom in the fat with the onions before the liquid is added — otherwise the flavour stays flat
  • Caraway distinguishes gulyás from a plain beef stew; use whole seeds for the best aroma
  • The flavour improves markedly the day after — making it in advance is worth it
  • The stew can be enriched with 1 dl (3.5 fl oz) sour cream and seasoned with marjoram
  • Potatoes (750 g–1 kg / 1 1/2–2 lbs, cut into wedges) can be added to the pot and cooked until tender
  • Freezes well for up to 3 months