Hungarian Goulash I

Good basic recipe that can be adjusted to taste. Hungarian goulash should be a flexible recipe, and you should taste it and adjust it when it is almost cooked, to suit your own taste. I am of Hungarian origin and these changes come close to my grandma’s goulash: there is no need to separate the onions from the meat, stir fry the onion, then add the meat, stir fry again, the add all other ingredients to the same pot except the water, stir fry again, then add the water last. Feel free to vary this according to what you have at home. Tomato instead of tomato paste, Or even no tomato! I add 2-3 tbsp more paprika (the sweet kind, not the hot kind) half as much tomato paste, and may add some chopped green pepper (no more than 1/2 cup), a bit more garlic, I always add 2-3 tbsp soy sauce, and even a bit of spicy chili sauce...to enhance the beefy flavour.... the key is to let the 'gravy' form by stewing it until the juices thicken without any flour added; the cheaper cuts of beef are better for this, as they are more flavourful and provide more 'gravy'.( I use boneless short rib roast that I cube, so that I know the consistency will be uniform) if at the end the stew seems watery, then boil it down until you like the consistency, if it seems dry, then add some water.

Yummy! I had never tasted Hungarian goulash before this, so I was pleasantly surprised. It makes a thick, beefy stew with a heavy dose of paprika. I think it would also be great with a few vegetables, like carrots and potatoes, but this way is probably the traditional way. The longer it stews, the better, so it doesn't qualify as quick. It's great for a cold drizzly fall day when you have nothing better to do than stay indoors, and cook up some comfort! We served it with Rhonda's Spaetzel, which was also very good. P.S. We just use enough oil to keep it from sticking, so it's probably not 1/3 cup, and we used half the amount of salt called for. We also passed on the sour cream garnish.

Very Tasty! I used only 2 teaspoons of salt instead of 3 and used beef broth for 1 cup of water. I ended up adding another 1/2 cup of water than the recipe called for to thin it. Beef was very tender. Will decrease oil by half next time. This dish was flavorful and hearty.Will make again.