Hungarian gulyás (GOO-yash) or goulash soup is one of the most traditional and loved meals in Hungary. However, this hearty soup with home made noodles is not the same dish that people around the world call goulash! While goulash is a delicious beef stew without any starchy vegetables or potatoes (see my recipe here), gulyás is a soup with potatoes, carrots, parsnips and little egg noodles.

An amazing way to cook this soup is outside over an open fire in a cast iron cauldron called a “bogrács”. This adds an amazing smoky flavour to the soup.

Traditional Hungarian Gulyás (Goulash) Soup with Homemade Egg Noodles

2 lb stewing beef about 900-1000g, cut into half inch -1.5-2cm cubes

2 medium onions diced

2-3 medium potatoes cut into cubes

1 medium carrot cut into 1 cm / ½ inch circles or half moons

1 medium parsnip cut into 1 cm / ½ inch circles or half moons

½ stalk celery, diced

1 small tomato, diced

½ bell pepper preferably green, diced

1 clove garlic minced

2 tsp sweet Hungarian paprika

1-2 pinch ground caraway seeds

salt, pepper

3 tbsp vegetable oil

8 cups water 2 L

Homemade egg noodles (csipetke)

½ cup flour about 70-80g

1 egg

1 pinch salt

Chop the onion, garlic, tomato, pepper. Cut the carrots, parsnips and celery into circles or half moons. Cut the potatoes into one inch cubes.

Heat the oil in a large pot. Add the diced onions and sauté on low heat until translucent and soft (approximately 10-15 min). Remove the pot from the heat, add the sweet Hungarian paprika, and mix it well with the onions.

Place the pot back on the heat, and turn it up. Sear the beef on medium to high heat for about 4-5 minutes, stirring constantly.

Add the diced tomato, pepper, garlic, ground caraway, some salt and pepper, and stir the ingredients with the meat. Add the salt gradually and adjust the flavour later as you like. Cover and cook it on low-medium heat for about an hour, stirring occasionally.

Add the potatoes, carrots, parsnips, celery and add about 8 cups of water. Bring it to a boil, then simmer it on low to medium heat until vegetables soften. Add salt to taste and adjust to your liking.

Making the small egg noodles

Mix the flour, egg and salt until they form a dough. Either roll the ball out first or directly from the ball start pinching off little pieces. I like forming them into little balls about the size of a pea. Sprinkle on a little bit of flour so they don’t stick together.

At the end of cooking the soup, once the meat and the vegetables are tender, bring it to boil, add the noodles, and cook the soup for another few minutes, until the noodles rise to the surface.

Serve the soup with some bread on the side. Bon appétit! Jó étvágyat!

You might like these soup recipes too!

Easy roasted celery root soup

Authentic Hungarian cauliflower soup

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Traditional Hungarian Gulyás (Goulash) Soup with Homemade Egg Noodles

Course Soup

Cuisine Hungarian

Keyword authentic, beef, goulash soup, homemade dumplings, Hungarian, soup, traditional

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 2 hours 15 minutes

Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 2 lb stewing beef about 900-1000g, cut into half inch -1.5-2cm cubes
• 2 medium onions diced
• 2-3 medium potatoes cut into cubes
• 1 medium carrot cut into 1 cm / ½ inch circles or half moons
• 1 medium parsnip cut into 1 cm / ½ inch circles or half moons
• ½ stalk celery diced
• 1 small tomato diced
• ½ bell pepper preferably green, diced
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 2 tsp sweet Hungarian paprika
• 1-2 pinch ground caraway seeds
• salt, pepper
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 8 cups water 2 L

Homemade dumplings (csipetke)

• ½ cup flour about 70-80g
• 1 egg
• 1 pinch salt

Instructions

• Chop the onion, garlic, tomato, pepper. Cut the carrots, parsnips and celery into circles or half moons. Cut the potatoes into one inch cubes.
• Heat the oil in a large pot. Add the diced onions and sauté on low heat until translucent and soft (approximately 10-15 min). Remove the pot from the heat, add the sweet Hungarian paprika, and mix it well with the onions.
• Place the pot back on the heat, and turn it up. Sear the beef on medium to high heat for about 4-5 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Add the diced tomato, pepper, garlic, ground caraway, some salt and pepper, and stir the ingredients with the meat. Add the salt gradually and adjust the flavour later as you like. Cover and cook it on low-medium heat for about an hour, stirring occasionally.
• Add the potatoes, carrots, parsnips, celery and add about 8 cups of water. Bring it to a boil, then simmer it on low to medium heat until vegetables soften. Add salt to taste and adjust to your liking.

Making the small egg noodles

• Mix the flour, egg and salt until they form a dough. Either roll the ball out first or directly from the ball start pinching off little pieces. I like forming them into little balls, about a size of a pea. Sprinkle on a little bit of flour so they don't stick together.
• At the end of cooking the soup, once the meat and the vegetables are tender, bring it to boil, add the noodles, and cook the soup for another few minutes, until the noodles rise to the surface.
• Serve the soup with some bread on the side. Bon apetit! Jó étvágyat!

Leave a comment on the recipe page! Did you try this recipe? Let me and others know how you liked it by leaving a comment below.

Instagram – Did you make this or other recipe from the blog? Make a pic and share it with me on Instagram by tagging @realhungarianeats and #realhungarianeats. I can’t wait to hear from you and see your creations!

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©2022 HungarianEats. Please note all images and content protected by copyright. Please do not use any images without consent. If you wish to republish a recipe from this blog, please link back to the recipe page.

The post Traditional Hungarian Gulyás (Goulash) Soup with Homemade Noodles appeared first on Hungarian Eats.

Lecsó [lecho], this delicious and versatile pepper tomato stew with paprika is a traditional Hungarian dish. As soon as the Hungarian yellow peppers and field tomatoes are in season in the summer in Hungary, everyone starts making lecsó, and everyone has their own “best of the best” recipe. I am sharing here our all-time family favourite. I use green Bell peppers in the recipe as it is hard to find the Hungarian yellow ones in North America. We usually find them mid-summer/early fall. We make a large batch, and freeze them in containers. It is just the best taking one out in the winter and enjoying those amazing “summer flavours”.

The Bell pepper has thick flesh similar to the Hungarian one, and the stew is just superb with it. I usually use the green ones as I found that these are not as sweet as the yellow, orange or red ones. Do you like it spicy? Add some hot peppers to the Bell peppers!

This pepper tomato stew is fast to prepare, super versatile and tastes so good the next day too. Make sure to have fresh bread on the table, as you will need it to mop up that delectable sauce. You can serve it as a vegan-vegetarian stew, you can add frankfurters or sausages, add some beaten egg to it, or serve it with some rice, and/or with some meat. Enjoy!

Hungarian pepper tomato stew with paprika (Lecho)

Ingredients

8 Bell peppers

3 medium tomatoes

2 medium onions

3 tbsp canola or sunflower oil

2 tbsp Hungarian sweet paprika

1 tsp salt

2 pairs of frankfurters, sausages, or veggie dogs cut into half-inch circles (optional)

Method

Dice the onions and tomatoes, and cut the peppers into inch wide strips.

In a large pot on medium to high heat sauté the onion in the oil until they are tender and golden.

Remove the pot from the heat, add the Hungarian sweet paprika, and mix it well.

Put the pot back on the heat, add the peppers and the salt, stir. Lower the heat to medium-low,

cover the pot, and cook the peppers for about 20 minutes, until soft. Stir every 8-10 minutes.

Add the diced tomatoes, stir, and cook for another 10-15 minutes.

At this point, you can either serve it as a veggie paprika stew or add frankfurters, sausages or

veggie dog circles, and cook the stew for about 5 more minutes.

You might like these stew recipes too!

Light and easy chicken paprikash

Cabbage stew with tender meat bites

Superb savoy cabbage stew with caraway seeds

Hearty lentil stew with a secret ingredient

Did you make this or any recipe from the blog? Make a pic and share it on Instagram by tagging @realhungarianeats and #realhungarianeats. I can’t wait to hear from you and see your creations!

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Hungarian pepper tomato stew (Lecsó)

Course stews

Cuisine Hungarian

Keyword Hungarian, paprika, pepper, stew, tomato, vegetable stew

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 55 minutes

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

• 8 Bell peppers green
• 3 medium tomatoes
• 2 medium onions
• 3 tbsp canola or sunflower oil
• 2 tbsp Hungarian sweet paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 pairs frankfurters, wieners, sausages or veggie dogs cut into ½ inch circles optional

Instructions

• Dice the onions and tomatoes, and cut the peppers into inch wide strips.
  
• In a large pot on medium to high heat sauté the onion in the oil until they are tender and golden.
  
• Remove the pot from the heat, add the Hungarian sweet paprika, and mix it well.
  
• Put the pot back on the heat, add the peppers and the salt, and stir. Lower the heat to medium low, cover the pot, and cook the peppers for about 20 minutes, until soft. Stir every 8-10 minutes.
  
• Add the diced tomatoes, stir, and cook for another 10-15 minutes.
  
• At this point you can either serve it as a veggie paprika stew, or add frankfurter, sausage or veggie dog circles, and cook the stew for about 5 more minutes.
  

Notes

The proportion of peppers to tomatoes is important. Using too much tomato makes the stew too watery. I use fewer tomatoes, but if you like it with more liquid, add one or two more.

Do you like it spicy? Add some hot peppers to the Bell peppers. It is going to be a different experience, I promise :). 

Lecsó with eggs: Usually I do this with the leftovers the next day. Heat up some lecsó on medium to high heat in a frying pan. In the meantime beat some eggs (I usually count an egg per person). Once the lecsó is hot, add the egg, and stir the mixture constantly for a few minutes, until the eggs are done. 

You can serve the lecsó by itself, or with some rice or noodles on the side. 

Lecsó keeps well in the fridge for several days. 

One of the best part is the sauce – have some fresh bread ready to mop the sauce. Believe me, every single drop counts :). 

Enjoy!

 

Leave a comment on the recipe page! Did you try this recipe? Let me and others know how you liked it by leaving a comment below.

Instagram – Did you make this or other recipe from the blog? Make a pic and share it with me on Instagram by tagging @realhungarianeats and #realhungarianeats. I can’t wait to hear from you and see your creations!

Pinterest – You can find us on Pinterest too, if you would like to pin the recipe pics!

©2022 HungarianEats. Please note all images and content protected by copyright. Please do not use any images without consent. If you wish to republish a recipe from this blog, please link back to the recipe page.

The post Hungarian pepper tomato stew with paprika (Lecsó) appeared first on Hungarian Eats.

Have you been craving a delicious Hungarian chicken paprikash, but you don’t want a heavy stew with flour, sour cream and chicken skin? Do not look any further, this chicken stew is your recipe! It is so easy to make, uses a few everyday ingredients, and it is light, no flour, no sour cream or chicken skin.

It has been a must in our family for ages, tested multiple times. We are lucky, if there is some stew left for the next day, but unfortunately it is not the case most of the time. I usually serve it with “nokedli”, Hungarian homemade small dumplings (similar to the German spaetzle), but it is divine with egg noodles as well, oh, wait, and pickles on the side, of course :). It keeps well in the fridge for 3-4 days in an air tight container, or for about two months in the freezer.

A few words about Hungarian paprika. The word “paprika” means pepper in Hungarian. Paprika is a powder made from various kinds of Capsicum annuum peppers, dried and ground up. There are eight different kinds of paprika depending on colour (from bright red to brown), and flavour (mild to spicy). The sweet paprika is a mild bright red variety, called “édesnemes”. Paprika adds both a wonderful flavour and colour to dishes. You can find Hungarian paprika in most grocery stores, the best and most famous comes from the town of Szeged and Kalocsa. Read more about Hungarian paprika here.

A hint for serving the stew on a hot summer day – serve the pickles chilled right from the fridge. Do you have fresh dill pickles or by any chance the authentic Hungarian style fermented dills “kovászos uborka“? Serve them on some crushed ice as some Hungarian restaurants serve it in the summer. Do not put it out too early though, because they will “disappear” even before the stew gets to the table :).

Light and easy chicken paprikash

1.5 kg chicken (drumsticks, thighs, breast cut into four pieces) any combination of drumsticks, thighs and breasts could be used.
2 medium onions
1 medium tomato
1 bell pepper
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp red sweet Hungarian paprika
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp ground black pepper

Prepare the chicken. Remove the skin from the drumsticks, thighs and breast. Trim off most of the excess fat. Cut the breast into about three or four medium sized pieces.

Dice the onions, the tomato and the pepper.

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large heavy-bottomed pot, add the onions, and sauté it on low to medium heat until they are golden and tender.

Remove the pot from the heat, and add the sweet Hungarian paprika. I use 2 tbsp paprika, for the colour and flavour, but if it is too much for you, add a bit less at the beginning, and more later as you like.

Place the pot back to the heat, and add the chicken. Carefully, on medium heat sear the chicken for a couple of minutes, but stir frequently to avoid burning the paprika. Searing the meat helps to keep the flavours inside.

Add the diced tomato, diced pepper, the salt and ground black pepper, and stir. I used 1 tsp salt in the entire recipe, but you could start with about half of the amount, and add more towards the end as you wish.

Reduce the heat to low, cover and let it simmer for about 1-1.5 hours. You can add 1 or two tbsp water if you want at this point, but you will see, the chicken-tomato-pepper mixture will start releasing a lot of liquid very soon. Every 15-20 minutes gently stir and later, once there is enough liquid, just shake the pot horizontally left and right. The meat will turn very tender, so by shaking the pot rather than stirring you can avoid “destroying the meat”.

Serve it with some egg noodles or dumplings, and with some delicious pickles on the side. 

Bon appétit! Jó étvágyat!

You might like these savory recipes too!

Superb savoy cabbage stew with caraway seeds

Hearty lentil stew with a secret ingredient

Cabbage stew with tender meat bites

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Light and easy chicken paprikash recipe

Course Main Course

Cuisine Hungarian

Keyword chicken, easy, goulash, Hungarian, paprika, paprikash, ragout, stew

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 45 minutes

Total Time 2 hours

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 1.5 kg chicken (drumsticks, thighs, breast cut into four pieces) any combination of drumsticks, thighs and breasts could be used.
• 2 medium onions
• 1 medium tomato
• 1 bell pepper
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp red sweet Hungarian paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper

Instructions

• Prepare the chicken. Remove the skin from the drumsticks, thighs and breast. Trim off most of the excess fat. Cut the breast into about three or four medium sized pieces.
  
• Dice the onions, the tomato and the pepper.
• Heat the oil over medium heat in a large heavy-bottomed pot, add the onions, and sauté it on low to medium heat until they are golden and tender.
• Remove the pot from the heat, and add the sweet Hungarian paprika. I use 2 tbsp paprika, for the colour and flavour, but if it is too much for you, add a bit less at the beginning, and more later as you like.
• Place the pot back to the heat, and add the chicken. Carefully, on medium heat sear the chicken for a couple of minutes, but stir frequently to avoid burning the paprika. Searing the meat helps to keep the flavours inside.
• Add the diced tomato, diced pepper, the salt and ground black pepper, and stir. I used 1 tsp salt in the entire recipe, but you could start with about half of the amount, and add more towards the end as you wish.
  
• Reduce the heat to low, cover and let it simmer for about 1-1.5 hours. You can add 1 or two tbsp water if you want at this point, but you will see, the chicken-tomato-pepper mixture will start releasing a lot of liquid very soon. Every 15-20 minutes gently stir and later, once there is enough liquid, just shake the pot horizontally left and right. The meat will turn very tender, so by shaking the pot rather than stirring you can avoid "destroying the meat"
• Serve it with some egg noodles or dumplings, and with some delicious pickles on the side. Bon appétit! Jó étvágyat!
  

Notes

Use white (breast) and red meat (legs) in any combination you like, but preferably with the bones as the bones make the stew even better. 

Since I cannot find real Hungarian peppers throughout the year in Canada except for a week or two at the end of the summer, I usually use Bell peppers in all of my stews. Usually the green peppers as they are the least sweet.

Be careful not to burn the paprika on the heat, as burnt paprika gets a bitter flavour. 

The meat will turn very tender, so by shaking the pot rather than stirring you can avoid “destroying the meat”.

You can use more onions, up to about 20% of the meat quantity for a thicker stew. Using too much could make the sauce taste too sweet.

I do not add any liquid to the stew, as the chicken and the tomato-pepper combo will release enough during cooking on low, sometimes even too much. To achieve the desired stew liquid amount simply just simmer the stew without the lid for the last 20-30 min. 

To make a smooth stew – take the chicken out from the pot, and blend the onion-tomato-pepper mix with a heat-proof hand blender, then simply put the meat back. 

If you prefer a sour cream-flour sauce – mix 1 tsp flour with 2-3 tbsp sour cream and a few drops of water if the sour cream is too thick. Add a few tbsp hot liquid to the mixture, and whisk it well. By adding some hot liquid to the flour-sour cream mix first you can avoid making the stew lumpy later. First gently take the meat out, then add the sour cream mixture to the sauce while stirring constantly, and cook for another few minutes on low to medium heat. Place the meat back in and you are done. For even creamier sauce use half table cream, half sour cream. 

I do not use any flour in my recipe, as my family likes it this way! 

 

Leave a comment on the recipe page! Did you try this recipe? Let me and others know how you liked it by leaving a comment below.

Instagram – Did you make this or other recipe from the blog? Make a pic and share it with me on Instagram by tagging @realhungarianeats and #realhungarianeats. I can’t wait to hear from you and see your creations!

Pinterest – You can find us on Pinterest too, if you would like to pin the recipe pics!

©2022 HungarianEats. Please note all images and content protected by copyright. Please do not use any images without consent. If you wish to republish a recipe from this blog, please link back to the recipe page.

The post Light and easy chicken paprikash appeared first on Hungarian Eats.