What is original goulash made of?

The classic “kettle goulash” is prepared by frying cubes of beef or mutton with onions in lard . Garlic, caraway seeds, tomatoes, green peppers, and potatoes complete the stew. Székely gulyás, another Hungarian specialty, is a stew of pork and sauerkraut flavoured with tomatoes, onions, caraway seeds, and sour cream.

What is the difference between Hungarian goulash and regular goulash?

Hungarian Goulash is a thick meat and vegetable stew with a broth that's heavily seasoned with paprika, while American Goulash is a quick dish made from ground beef, tomato sauce, herbs, and elbow macaroni noodles. It also goes by the name of American Chop Suey.

What is Gulyaskrem used for?

Use goulash paste when preparing traditional dishes like goulash soup, stews and casseroles. A dash of Gulyáskrém will also give a delicious twist to your sandwiches, toasties and pizza, or try adding it to marinades.

What nationality is Gulyas?

Goulash ( Hungarian : gulyás) is a soup or stew of meat and vegetables seasoned with paprika and other spices. Originating in Hungary, goulash is a common meal predominantly eaten in Central Europe but also in other parts of Europe. It is one of the national dishes of Hungary and a symbol of the country.

What is the difference between American and traditional goulash?

American goulash is a one-pot dish of ground beef, pasta (often elbow macaroni), tomatoes and cheese. Sometimes it includes paprika, like its Hungarian counterpart. Since American goulash calls for ground beef, it cooks much faster than Hungarian goulash which relies on low-and-slow cooking to render the beef tender.

What are the two types of goulash?

Hungarian goulash and American goulash. Hungarian goulash is a thick soup with meat and vegetables, usually seasoned with paprika. American goulash is very different. It generally has tomato sauce, macaroni and beef.

What is goulash called in America?

American goulash, sometimes called slumgullion, American Chop Suey, or even Beef-a-Roni , is an American comfort-food dish popular in the Midwest and South. Besides the name, there is no real connection to Hungarian goulash in terms of the flavor or ingredients.

What is the difference between Hungarian goulash and beef stew?

Hungarian goulash is very similar to beef stew, but there are some differences. While a typical stew consists of slow braising chunks of meat with root vegetables in a seasoned broth, goulash uses spices such as caraway, cumin, paprika, and peppers which really enhance and alter the flavor from a classic beef stew.

Where was goulash first made?

Glass has always been found in nature, but the first glass created by humans can be dated to about 4,000 years ago, when craftsmen working in Mesopotamia , the land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, discovered the art of mixing sand, soda, and lime to make glass.

Traditional Hungarian Goulash Recipe

2K Shares

Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

Get this traditional Hungarian goulash recipe (gulyas) prepped in just 15 mins, then let your stove or slow cooker do the rest! It’s the ultimate winter comfort food.

Traditional Hungarian Goulash Recipe - Gulyas (1)

In This Post You’ll Learn

Why We Love This
What is Hungarian Goulash?
What You’ll Need
How to Make Traditional Hungarian Goulash
Wandercook’s Tips
FAQs
Variations

Why We Love This

Hungarian goulash is the ultimate comfort food. You can easily get it prepped in just 15 mins, then let your stove or slow cooker take over.

Like all good soups and stews this recipe uses simple ingredients simmered to perfection for rich and delicious flavour. You can source everything (or the closest substitutes) at your local supermarket.

Why not cook up a big batch to keep some in the freezer for cold winter nights or when you just don’t feel like cooking!

P.S. The optional galuska noodles are so fun and easy to make – no pasta machine required here!

Related: Dutch Split Pea Soup / Pie Floater

Traditional Hungarian Goulash Recipe - Gulyas (2)

What is Hungarian Goulash?

Hungarian goulash (known as gulyás) is a rich and comforting dish of beef and vegetables simmered in a paprika-infused beef stock.

It’s traditionally served as a brothy soup in Hungary where it first originated, while in other parts of the world (such as Australia and America) it has a thicker consistency, more like a stew.

Sweet Hungarian paprika is the star ingredient in this traditional Hungarian goulash recipe. (Paprika actually means pepper in Hungarian). It’s what gives the dish its distinctive flavour and deep red colour.

What You’ll Need

Jump to Full Recipe Measurements

Beef – We use gravy beef, also known as chuck steak as it will give you that perfect melt-in-your-mouth tenderness goulash is known for. It’s also an affordable cut so it won’t break the budget!.
Optional Hungarian Sausage – When we first learned this recipe our host added Hungarian csabai sausage for extra flavour. This is a regional flair – some gulyas recipes don’t include it at all so feel free to leave it out. Sub with kolbasz, Polish kielbasa or even chorizo depending on what’s available in your area.
Veggies – You’ll need potatoes, onion, carrot, parsnip and celeriac. Use our recommended quantities or mix and match depending on what veggies you like or have on hand. If you can’t source celeriac, just add an extra potato, parsnip or even turnip if you like.
Spices & Stock – The star of this recipe is sweet Hungarian paprika. Sub with regular paprika or smoky paprika to tweak the flavour. You’ll also need ground cloves, black pepper, chilli powder and beef stock.
Optional Galuska Noodle Dough – A simple mix of plain flour / all purpose flour, egg and water, mixed into a runny batter and seasoned with salt and pepper.

Traditional Hungarian Goulash Recipe - Gulyas (3)

How to Make Traditional Hungarian Goulash

Traditional Hungarian Goulash Recipe - Gulyas (4)

Traditional Hungarian Goulash Recipe - Gulyas (5)

First, gather your ingredients: See recipe card below for measurements.

For the Soup:

Place the diced beef into a large saucepan and cover completely with water (around 3 cups). Bring to the boil then simmer for 2 hours. Keep topping up with boiling water as needed to ensure the meat is covered while cooking (around 3-4 cups). The beef may still be tough at the end of this stage, don’t worry, it will soften by the end.
While the beef is cooking, heat the vegetable oil in a medium frying pan on low-medium heat and add the onions and garlic. Cook for 3-4 minutes until soft and translucent, but don’t allow them to burn as it will change the flavour.
Once the beef has cooked, add in the cooked onion and garlic along with the potatoes, carrot, parsnip, celeriac, dry spices, Hungarian sausage (if using) and beef stock to the pan. Top up with water so all the ingredients are covered (around 2 cups). Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer (uncovered) for one more hour, topping up with extra water as required to keep everything covered and to maintain a soft, soupy consistency.

Traditional Hungarian Goulash Recipe - Gulyas (7)

Traditional Hungarian Goulash Recipe - Gulyas (8)

For the Optional Galuska Noodles:

Add the plain flour / all purpose flour, egg, water and optional salt and pepper to a mixing bowl. Mix until smooth and well combined, then allow to rest.
In the last 10 mins of cooking the soup, pop a dab of dough onto a paddle and flick small slivers at a time into the soup using a knife. Dip the knife into the soup after every flick to stop the dough from sticking to the knife.

Wandercook’s Tips

Boil Faster – You can use a lid to cover the beef and then the soup to save time while bringing it to the boil. If you do, keep a close eye on it and be sure to leave a gap to stop it boiling over.
Galuska Noodles Technique – Place a scoop of dough onto a flat paddle or chopping board, and use the back of a knife to ‘flick’ small slivers of dough into the soup while it’s bubbling away on the stove. Dip the knife into the soup after every flick to stop the dough sticking to the knife. No need to be neat and tidy here – you can make them big, small, thick or thin – it’s up to you! Just have fun with it.

FAQs

What if I don’t want to make galuska noodles?

You can skip the homemade noodles if you want to keep it simple or save time. Or if you still want some pasta through the soup, you can add a handful or penne or macaroni pasta in the last 10-15 minutes of cooking.

What should I serve with it?

Gulyas is traditionally served with galuska noodles, or csipetke noodles which are similar to spaetzle egg noodles. For a simple dinner we love serving it with hot crusty bread and butter to dip in the soup – yum!

It’s also amazing with buttery mashed potatoes, flour dumplings, or over a bed of freshly cooked pasta or rice. We’ll sometimes serve some steamed greens on the side, such as spinach, broccoli or broccolini to round it out.

Can I cook it in a slow cooker?

Yep you can. Cook the onion and garlic in the slow cooker on sauté mode first, then add the remaining ingredients (except for the galuska noodles). Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours. In the last 10 minutes before serving you can whip up the galuska noodle batter and start flicking the noodles in!

Can I freeze it?

Yes you can! Pop portions into airtight containers so you’ll have the perfect amount to reheat. It will last around 2-3 months in the freezer.

To reheat: Transfer frozen goulash into a microwave container and reheat for around 2-3 minutes, stirring part way through to loosen. Or pop it into a saucepan and reheat slowly on the stove.

Variations

Make it a Stew – For a thicker stew-like consistency, make a cornflour / cornstarch slurry (1 tbsp cornflour / cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp cold water) and stir it through in the last minute of cooking. OR you can continue to cook it down for longer until it reaches the texture you prefer.

Traditional Hungarian Goulash Recipe - Gulyas (9)

Try these amazing recipes next:

Erwtensoep – Dutch Split Pea Soup – So easy and so comforting!
Easy Greek Moussaka Bake – Layered with veggies, beef sauce and our easy no-fail bechamel.
White Bean Soup – Albanian Jani Me Fasule – Our fave pressure cooker soup is packed with flavour.
Best Campfire Stew – Sausage and Bean Casserole – Cook this dish anywhere!
Mum’s Creamy Pumpkin and Corn Soup – Deliciously warming for winter.

★ Did you make this recipe? Please leave a comment and a star rating below!