Many European countries have their own versions of this stew, but what makes Hungarian Goulash unique is paprika…lots of it! The meat, usually beef (or veal) is simmered for hours until it’s so tender it falls apart. Aside from the paprika and the meat, you only need a few additional ingredients making this stew simple to put together. And don’t let the short ingredient list fool you, goulash has a lovely heart-warming flavour.

The tender meat makes this great for serving to babies and toddlers too. I like to serve it with polenta, but you can also put it with pasta, mashed potato or rice. If you want to make it more of a meal you can add some sliced capsicum, mushrooms or green beans.

Make a double or triple batch and freeze it in portions for days you don’t feel like cooking, but it’s too cold to go out for takeaway.

Hungarian Goulash
serves 4 – 6

3 tbsp oil
3 onions, diced
2 carrots, sliced
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 tbsp sweet Hungarian paprika
800g casserole/stewing steak (I use chuck steak), diced into 2cm chunks
4 tbsp tomato sauce/ketchup*
3 bay leaves
pinch chilli flakes (optional)

Add the oil to a casserole dish over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and garlic and saute until the onion is translucent and soft. Try not to get much colour on the onion. Add the paprika and beef and stir together well. Add enough hot water to cover the steak and add the tomato sauce, bay leaves and chilli (if using). Season and stir it all together.

Simmer for 2 hours over low heat with the lid on, stirring occasionally. Take off the lid and continue to simmer for about an hour, until it reduces and thickens to your liking.

Enjoy!

*I use the tomato sauce because it’s quick, but if you don’t like the idea of using it, add 3 tbsp tomato paste and 1 tbsp sugar.