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Hungarian goulash – Gulyásleves
Rich and hearty, Hungarian Goulash is a must-have during wintertime, it definietely warms you up! In this soup, bite size cubes of beef are flavored with lots of sweet paprika powder and some vegetables and cooked low and slow in a flavorful broth until fall-apart tender. Pinched noodles (called “csipetke” in Hungarian) are also added.
Goulash is loaded as the Hungarian specialty all over the world. The word goulash means heardsman.
What do Hungarians call goulash?
Hungarian goulash is traditionally served as a brothy soup. It is quite filling, especially if you have it with white bread, so main course is not needed after having it. Pasta or pastry dishes, especially the ones made with cottage cheese (pancake, dumplings, strudel) go down well after the heavy soup.
The thick beef dish that is served for main course with nokedli noodles (spaetzle) is not goulash. That is beef stew.
The goulash is delicious with “csipetke” pinch noodles. Csipetke is a variety of traditional Hungarian noodles used in goulash and other soups. They are made by pinching small pieces of dough and roll them.
Do not add too much tomatoes or peppers to the soup. A medium tomato and pepper is just enough, the best to use sweet yellow pepper (wax pepper, cubanelle). If you use bell pepper, add the yellow or red ones and only the half of one pepper.
Caraway seed is the secret ingredient, without them goulash is not goulash. Caraway seeds are highly aromatic and have a distinctive mild anise flavor, a little goes a long way, so I only use 1/2 teaspoon.
Traditionally, goulash is made with pork lard, this is how I prepare the soup. Since many kitchens very rarely have it on hand, Iyou can use vegetable oil instead.
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Pride of Szeged
Hungarian sweet paprika
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Hungarian Chili Paste
to make your dish spicy
when you serve
Hungarian Goulash Recipe - Gulyásleves
Equipment
- Soup pot
- Cutting board
- Chef's knife
- Peeler
- Measuring spoons
- Wodden spoon
- Plate
Ingredients
For the soup
- 1 pound beef shank or neck or stew meat
- 3 Spanish onions medium
- 1 tomato medium
- 1 sweet pepper (cubanelle, wax pepper, banana pepper)
- 2-3 tbsp sweet paprika powder
- 2 bay leaves
- 10-15 whole black peppercorn
- 2 carrots medium
- 1 parsley root or parsnip medium
- 2 potatoes medium
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon ground caraway seeds
- salt to taste
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil canola or sunflower. You can use lard instead of oil
For the pinch noodles (Csipetke)
- 1 egg
- all purpse flour
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- In a large soup pot, sauté the onions in vegetable oil or pork lard over low heat, stirring frequently, until translucent. Do not let them burn. Salt lightly to help tenderize them. The onions should be cut into very, very small pieces. This is essential in order to achieve the “stew consistency”. Add a small amount of water, if necessary, to keep them from sticking to the pan.
- Remove the pot from the heat, add 2 tablespoons of sweet Hungarian paprika, stir in. The onions should be red (not orange), if needed, add more paprika. Do not burn the paprika, or it will become bitter. Add the tomatoes, the sweet yellow pepper and the meat, and stir again.
- Add the bay leaves, the peppercorns, and about 6 cups of water. Salt to taste. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until meat is tender, adding water as necessary. It takes about 1.5-2 hours.
- Add the peeled, sliced carrots and the parsley roots or parsnips, the ground caraway seeds, and the minced garlic. Salt to taste. Cover, bring back to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer. Add the potatoes and the Csipetke (pinched noodles) when the vegetables are half tender and cook until the vegetables (including the potatoes) are tender.
How to make pinch noodles (csipetke) for the goulash
- The amount of dough you can make with one egg is enough for a recipe for 8 people. I always use only about 1/2 of one beaten egg.
- In a medium bowl mix together 50% of one beaten egg, the salt and the flour, and knead with your fingertips until a firm, smooth dough forms. You add the flour step by step until it comes together into a soft not sticky dough.
- Pinch off small pieces of dough about the size of a lemon seed and roll them. Drop them into the soup and cook for about 8-10 minutes.
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Finally someone that knows how to make Hungarian Gulyas,
When we were vacationing in Budapest, we ate Goulash (soup) at every meal and fell in love with it. I have looked for recipes but could tell they were not the correct soup version. FINALLY, with your recipe, I will make this to surprise my husband one of these winter evenings to bring back our wonderful Budapest memories. Thank you!!!!!
That sounds like such a beautiful memory! I’m so happy you found the right recipe, and I love that you’re planning to surprise your husband with it—what a thoughtful and delicious way to relive those memories!
Wishing you a cozy, flavor-filled evening when you make it. Enjoy every spoonful! ❤️
Ahhh! Gulyas the correct way, my mom and I thank you!
This is yummy. I can never understand how Gulyas became a stew here in the US. Do you have any suggestions for dessert?
Hello Katika!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! As for why gulyás became a stew in the US — it’s a mix of translation confusion and adaptation. In Hungary, gulyás is a soup, while pörkölt and paprikás are the thicker, stew-like dishes. When the recipe first traveled abroad, many cooks didn’t know the difference, so they used the word ‘goulash’ for any paprika-based beef dish. Over time, Americans came to expect a hearty stew, and the ‘U.S. goulash’ style stuck.
Dessert: Palacsinta is one of my favorites — the Hungarian crêpe style pancake is simple, quick, and always delicious. Whether you fill it with apricot jam, cocoa sugar, or sweet túró, it never disappoints. You can even roll it, fold it, or bake it as a layered dessert — it’s endlessly flexible!
Thanks for the information! My mother usually made palacsinta where we rolled out own from choices of jam, or cocoa, etc. Our favorite palacsinta filling is a little sugar and a few drops of lemon. Roll it up (eat right away) and you have this slightly crunchy lemonade. It’s delicious!