A thoroughly authentic recipe for Hungary’s national dish, Goulash! The depth and richness of the flavor is simply out-of-this-world delicious!
Traditional Hungarian goulash is a prime example of how a few simple ingredients, cooked properly, can yield an incredible flavor. Though many variations of Hungarian goulash exist, and every cook makes it just a bit differently, this is a traditional, authentic recipe from the heart of Hungary.
You already know how much I love Hungary from previous Hungarian recipes I’ve posted so I’ll spare you some of the sentimentality this time. Needless to say, Hungary holds a special place in my heart, in my family’s hearts. My brother lived there for 2 years as a young man, regularly wrote home to us about his experiences there, the beautiful scenery and breathtaking buildings, his love for the Hungarian people. When I visited Budapest I immediately fell in love with it. It has become one of my most favorite European cities. Its name comes from the two sides of the city (Buda and Pest) separated by the Danube River running through it. I don’t know that any city has a more breathtaking site than Budapest’s famous chain bridge, its parliament building, and the incredible Buda Castle.
Hungary’s history has been one of hardship and heartbreak. But the passion and stamina of soul has remained in the hearts of the Hungarian people. I’ve always been touched by Hungary’s national anthem, Himnusz, or “hymn”, written by the poet Kölcsey. Their anthem is a poetic prayer and unlike most anthems that focus on an expression of national pride, the Hungarian anthem is a direct, heartfelt plea to God. In the mid-20th century, during the years of strongest communist rule in Hungary, the words were not song, only the music was played. The communist government asked two of the most acclaimed artists of that time, a poet and composer, to rewrite the national anthem. Both refused. The next communist leader also tried, unsuccessfully, to have it changed. Hungary’s national anthem remains Himnusz. The first three lines:
O God, bless the nation of Hungary
With your grace and bounty
Extend over it your guarding arm
I also love Hungarian food. Their breads and smoked sausages are fantastic, as are their meats, stews, sauces, desserts. Today I’m going to share the national dish of Hungary: Goulash, or, as Hungarians call it, gulyás, meaning “herdsman.” Its origins date back to the 9th century Magyar shepherds as a simple meat and onion stew prepared in heavy iron kettles known as bogracs. In the 15th century invading Ottoman Turks introduced a new spice to Hungary, paprika. While the rest of Europe remained lukewarm towards this red chili pepper from the New World, Hungary embraced it and paprika has since become a defining element of Hungarian cuisine.
Goulash is kind of in between a soup and a stew. Unlike some stews, Goulash is not overly packed full of beef and vegetables, it is a little more brothy. But through the cooking process, the broth becomes thicker and more like a rich sauce.
And no, contrary to popular belief here in the U.S., goulash is NOT made with ground beef or (heaven forbid) macaroni noodles!
To achieve the ultimate flavor, the cooking method is important and quality, real Hungarian paprika is essential. And lots of it! None of this “2 teaspoons of paprika” jazz. Hungarians use very generous amounts of paprika, and that’s key. A Hungarian once told me, “however much paprika the recipe calls for – at least double or triple it!”
For this size batch of Goulash, you want to use a full 1/4 cup of it. When I lived in Germany, Hungary was just a few hours away and I would stock up on it when I visited. Now I order it online and recommend this genuine imported Hungarian paprika from the Kalocsa region of Hungary. There is no comparison in flavor. It has an extraordinarily rich flavor and an exceptionally vibrant red color. Many of our readers have tried it, written back and agree that quality Hungarian-imported paprika makes all the difference.
I mentioned earlier, many variations of goulash exist. Some include turnip or wine or caraway seeds, to name a few. But this recipe is the traditional, old-fashioned way of making Goulash that my brother and I learned from older generations of Hungarian women and it needs no embellishments. It’s simple and simply delicious!
But before we get started, let’s take a quick peek at Budapest and it’s famous Great Market Hall.
On to our goulash – let’s get started!
Chop up the bell peppers. We don’t have the kinds of peppers they use in Hungary, at least not that I’ve been able to find anywhere. The best ones to use in their place are red and some yellow/orange. Avoid green bell peppers as the ones we have over here have a completely different flavor profile. Chop up up the onions.
Chop up the carrots, tomatoes and potatoes. (Question of the day: How do YOU pronounce them? “Po-tay-toes” or “po-taw-toes”?
Dice up the beef. In Hungarian goulash the beef chunks are usually fairly small compared to other beef stews. Dice it into 1/2 inch chunks.
Heat the pork lard (or whatever fat source you’re using, though pork fat is traditional) in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and cook the onions until they’re beginning to brown, about 7-10 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the paprika. This will bring out its flavor but you don’t want to fry it or it will turn bitter.
Add the beef and garlic, return to the heat and cook over medium-high heat for about 5-7 minutes or until the beef is no longer red. The beef will release enough juices to keep the paprika from scorching.
Add the bell peppers and cook for another 5 minutes.
Mmmmm, it’s already starting to smell so good!
Add the carrots, tomatoes and potatoes (however it is you choose to pronounce them).
Add the beef broth, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer for 40 minutes. If you’re using a tougher cut of beef, simmer the beef first without the carrots, tomatoes, potatoes and bell peppers, for 30-45 minutes, then add the veggies and simmer for another 40 minutes.
It’s ready to eat! That gorgeous reddish-brown broth is so flavorful – you’re going to love it!
Dish it up and serve hot with a dollop of sour cream and some crusty bread. Traditionally also served with a cool cucumber salad.
For a delicious variation, check out our delicious Hungarian Chicken Goulash!
Be sure to try these other delicious Hungarian dishes!
Authentic Hungarian Chicken Paprikash
Authentic Hungarian Pörkölt (Beef & Onion Stew
Authentic Hungarian Szegedin Goulash
Traditional Hungarian Goulash (Gulyas)
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons pork lard , or butter (pork fat is traditionally used and highly recommended for the best flavor)
- 1 1/2 pounds yellow onions chopped
- 1/4 cup good quality sweet imported Hungarian paprika
- 1 1/2 pounds beef ,cut into 1/2 inch pieces. *SEE NOTE
- 5 cloves garlic ,minced
- 2 red bell peppers ,seeded/membranes removed, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
- 1 yellow bell pepper ,seeded/membranes removed, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
- 2 tomatoes ,diced
- 2 carrots ,diced
- 2 medium potatoes ,cut into 1/2 inch chunks
- 5 cups beef broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Melt the lard or butter in a Dutch oven over medium high heat and cook the onions until beginning to brown, about 7-10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the paprika. Add the beef and garlic, return to the heat, and cook for about 10 minutes, or until the beef is no longer pink.
- Add the bell peppers and cook for another 7-8 minutes. Add the carrots, tomatoes, potatoes, beef broth, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer for 40 minutes (see note). Add salt to taste.
- Serve with a dollop of sour cream, some crusty bread, and a cool cucumber salad.
Notes
Nutrition
Stella says
This is similar to my recipe, only I don’t use carrots. I also add cumin. I buy the cheapest meat, usually a roast and cut it up and use my pressure cooker. Even the cheapest if meat comes out nice and tender in the pressure cooker.
Rob says
If using chuck steak do you cook all the other ingredients along with the beef for the initial 45 minutes then add the carrot, tomato, potato and peppers? This won’t affect the flavour of the paprika if you cook it for so long?
I’ve just ordered some good quality hungarian paprika and my girlfriend is half hungarian so I can’t wait to cook this for her.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Rob, yes that’s correct – cook everything together minus those veggies and then add the veggies to cook for the final 40 or so minutes. That’s awesome that you’ve got the good paprika. Happy cooking and please let us know how it goes!
Rob Young says
So I made this today and we ate it this evening. My Hungarian girlfriend was very impressed. We both ate 2 bowls with sourdough bread😋. She said it was the real deal.
I’ll be honest, I have cooked with paprika quite a few times but cannot believe the difference in taste the sweet Hungarian paprika gives. The cheap one i usually buy just doesn’t compare. This imported stuff smells like fresh sweet peppers and has a lovely vibrant colour.
Thanks so much for the recipe, I expected it to taste good but not this good!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s wonderful, Rob, I’m so happy you both enjoyed it, thanks so much!
Eric says
I’m using this recipe tonight. I normally make my grandmother’s recipe (my grandparents are from a small village east of Budapest. But, browsing the web, I saw this and it looked pretty good. Only thing I changed was double the Paprika …. other than that, using your recipe. Yours is a bit more like I would expect to get in Munich than Budapest. It brings back memories of winters in Garmisch and Tirol …. making Knoedel with it :-)
It’s been on the stove an hour or so and the house smells right!
Zsuzsa says
Quick comment: I always use parsnips as well, same amount as the carrots. Also, as you mentioned it in the note section, always cook the beef first until it’s almost done. It can be cooked with the peppers and tomatoes but the rest of the vegetables goes in for the last half hour of cooking time.
Tom says
tips:
Use Pork fat rendered into lard ( in a fry pan). Use it to seal the beef, then the onions and celery ( omitted in this recipe, but very enriching)
Use Caraway seeds in abundance… ( you wont believe how rich the aroma is whilst cooking)
Mix sweet paprika powder with smoked paprika powder in equal quantities… (dont use picante “spanish” paprika… that will only turn your dish into chilli… and that is to miss the point of classic Gulas.
remember… use plenty of caraway/kummel… the aroma will lift your and your guests spirits… to the stratosphere…
June Deisenroth says
I used pork and it was very good. I cooked it in my Instapot. I also served it with klukski noodles, my husband likes it that way.
Anonymous says
Very authentic since true Hungarian goulash is more of a soup not stew. Excellent blending of flavors.
Tarryn says
Fantastic, simple and easy to follow recipe. THIS tastes like REAL HUNGARIAN GOULASH. Thank you so much!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Tarryn, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Victoria A Filippi says
I am excited to try this recipe. My grandmother made the best Hungarian Goulash that I have ever had. Of course…there was no recipe and she has been gone for years. As I searched the internet, the picture you have with the recipe was the ONLY one that looked like hers; more brothy, but a rich broth. I plan to try it this weekend and will post my review. Thank you for this authentic recipe.
Craig says
Great Recipe! Added to our rotation!
Angela Bone says
This is a fabulous recipe. I followed it pretty much exactly with a little less liquid and a splash of red wine. Cooked it slow in the oven. The house smelled amazing. Thank you!
David says
You say dice carrots but the picture shows they are sliced.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Do whichever you like, David, it won’t impact the flavor of the goulash ;)
Judy Parker says
My comment is above but I missed giving it a rating. Thank goodness I followed the recipe better 🙄
Judy Parker says
So good. I’ve neither tasted nor cooked traditional Hungarian Goulash before, but I’m a fan after preparing this. I used a combination of sweet Hungarian and half-sharp paprika from The Spice House because that’s what I had, the rest of the recipe was verbatim. I did cook the top sirloin for 80 minutes before adding the peppers and then the 40 minutes after adding the potatoes and it was beautifully tender and the flavor – mmm good food! Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe.
Claire McFarlane says
Unfortunately I did not find this story until I had made my neither authentic Goulash or Gulyas albeit the stew is slowly cooking in my crock-pot.
Having long ago had a Hungarian neighbour whose cooking was marvellous and I so enjoyed her Gulyas I delved into the history of it. Was told it was made with LAMB. Now having lived for 30 years on Sheep Stations in Oz I so enjoyed this.. Now people only speak of it made with BEEF or Pork.I am sure those herdsmen ate Lamb Gulyas. Now I have learnt not to burn the Sweet Hungarian Paprikas which resides in my Pantry. Cheers and a huge Thank you for your article…
Mary Barnett says
What is the difference of the Porkolt and this Goulash recipe’. I enjoy your blog and have tried a number of your recipes/ and ordered the pap ricks you recommended and the vanilla sugar.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Mary :) The difference lies in the ingredients (no carrots or potatoes in pörkölt; no caraway in goulash) as well as the consistency. Goulash is a soup whereas pörkölt is more of a sauce meant to be eaten with dumplings or pasta.
Linda Migura says
I have been making soups and stews for years —but this is exceptional. My son followed the recipe, except he wanted to try potato dumplings instead if potatoes. The potatoes will be my choice next time! We will be making this one again. Thank you!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s wonderful, Linda, thank you so much!