Magyar Gulyas ~ Hungarian Goulash

Two years ago my sister and I set out on a grand adventure and traveled throughout Eastern Europe. We visited many great coffee houses, pastry shops and restaurants and quickly became "experts" on one of our favorite dishes - goulash. I'm sure there are as many versions of the recipe as there are cooks who prepare it. It can either be thick and hearty like a stew or the consistency of a thin meat and vegetable soup. There are versions that don't use tomatoes, some have potatoes, some don't, sometimes noodles accompany the dish, sometimes dumplings. The one thing that all variations of goulash have in common is paprika, and lots of it. The dish is slow simmered and all the flavors meld into the most delicious concoction imaginable. This version is my favorite blend of the goulashes we sampled in Prague, Vienna and Budapest. I use several types of paprika that I brought home from Hungary: sweet, hot and smoked, but good Hungarian sweet paprika is available in most grocery stores and works beautifully by itself. Be sure to add the caraway seeds, too, as this is the second essential ingredient in a good goulash.

Hungarian Goulash My Way

• 6 slices bacon, chopped
• 2-1/2 pounds boneless beef, cubed
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 cup carrot, peeled and sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons Hungarian sweet paprika
• 2 teaspoons caraway seeds, toasted and ground
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 15 ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 6 - 7 cups beef broth
• 1/2 cup sour cream (optional)
• Chopped flat leaf parsley

Fry bacon in a large, heavy pot over medium heat. When crisp, remove to a paper towel and reserve. Add olive oil and the seasoned beef to the pot and brown beef on all sides. Sprinkle the beef with flour and stir until dissolved.

Add the onion, garlic, carrot, paprika and caraway. Cook and stir for about 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, vinegar, broth, bacon and sugar. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 2 hours or until beef is tender. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream or garnish servings with a dollop of sour cream and chopped parsley. Serve with buttered noodles or dumplings.

We stopped for lunch in a small village outside of Budapest and watched a person from the restaurant prepare goulash over an open fire pit.

The Grand Market Hall in Budapest, home to hundreds of year around vendors selling everything you could imagine: three floors of crafts, prepared foods and ingredients for any Hungarian recipe.


A paprika vendor on the main floor of the Hall. I could have spent a week exploring this incredible market.


I hope to return someday for another visit.