Date Published: May 16th, 2023 | Last Updated: May 16th, 2023
Author: Abby |Category: mains, easy
Serves: 4 | Prep time: 20 mins | Cook time: 2.5 hrs

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‘Goulash’ is a stew or soup made with meat and vegetables and usually using paprika as the main spice. It originates from Central Europe and there are LOTS of different variations of it between countries and so many different ways to make it. This recipe is Toby’s babička’s (grandmother’s) version of a simple goulash. It’s one of Toby’s favourite dishes so she taught us how to make it when we visited in Czech last summer. When I first made it on my own I had to guestimate the amounts of everything since true to old school universal grandma cooking, everything was made by ‘taste’, ‘feel’, and ‘eyeballing it until it looks right’ 😅. I’m happy to report that this recipe is Toby-approved to be just like his babička’s version.

In Czech Republic a goulash is commonly served with bread dumplings (knedliky) and a few slices of red onion, but you can choose whatever carb you wish. Toby’s favourite way is mixed with pasta noodles so it’s more of a pasta dish rather than a soup/stew – it’s not traditional, but he loves it so that’s how I make it every time!

A goulash can be a great way to use up leftover meat and veg in the fridge. The ingredients are pretty forgiving as long as you use paprika and caraway seeds for the seasoning to give it that Czech touch. Toby’s family friends once made goulash using wallaby meat when they visited in Australia!

This recipe seems long with lots of steps, but it’s actually pretty once all the prep work is done. The hardest part is waiting for it to be done!

Anyways, without further ado, here’s the recipe! If you have any comments or suggestions, I’d love to hear from you in the comment section! You can follow me on instagram, youtube and facebook to see all the recipes I post!

Happy cooking!

Ingredients you’ll need:

• 500g yellow onion, diced (the ratio of onion to meat is 1:2)
• 1kg beef chuck or shank or pork, diced into 3-4cm pieces
• 3 Tbsps paprika (try to get the best quality you can find)
• 2 Tbsps whole caraway seeds
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp salt (more to taste)
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 500g white mushrooms, sliced
• 1 Tbsp Cornstarch
• Serve with bread, dumplings, rice, or noodles

Directions:

In a medium pot on MED heat, sauté the onion in a drizzle of oil until it caramelizes/ turns brown then remove from the pot and set aside.

Next, in the same pot, turn the heat up to MED-HIGH and add another drizzle of oil. Splash a drop of water into the pot and if it sizzles, it’s hot enough and ready to use. Add in the diced meat and sear until the sides are browned (~5-8 seconds per side). Do not overcrowd the pot – only add enough meat to fit in a single uncrowded layer. You may have to sear the meat in a few batches. If you add in too much meat at once, the juices will come out and you’ll end up boiling the meat.

Once all the meat is seared, turn the heat back down to MEDIUM and put all the meat back into the pot along with the caramelized onions. Then add in the paprika, salt, caraway seeds, garlic, and mushrooms. Stir until combined and cook until the mushrooms are tender ~5 mins.

Once the mushrooms are tender and have released their liquid, put the lid on and simmer everything on LOW heat until the beef is tender and easy to break with a spoon, ~ 2 hours. Check on it and stir every 15 mins. If the sauce is disappearing and getting a little dry, add in enough water to cover half of the meat each time. The amount of water to add will depend on how much liquid gets released by the mushrooms and how much evaporates over this time. Every time I’ve made this the amount of water changes. In some instances I haven’t had to add any water at all!

While you’re waiting for the goulash to cook, prepare your carb of choice to go with the goulash.

Once the meat is cooked, add in the cornstarch by making a slurry of it in a small bowl with a few spoonfuls of the liquid from the pot. Once all the cornstarch is dissolved, pour it into the pot and mix it around. Feel free to add more cornstarch if you prefer a thicker stew. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Done!

Serve with your choice of carb: dumplings, bread, rice, or noodles. Enjoy!

Summarized Recipe: