In Europe we have something like a spiced meat stew that has gained popularity with time all over the world. As the title suggests, I am speaking of the brown paprika loaded Goulash. Actually the dish is typically Hungarian, but since once upon a time Hungary and Austria used to be one without borders, it is fair to say that Goulash has become another Austrian favorite and so a “national dish”. Yet, we shouldn’t forget that it was first the common folk of Hungary, the shepherds and farmers, who had come up with the dish much before anybody else. However at that time, the so called gulyás in Hungary, looked pretty much different, in fact the main ingredient that defines nowadays goulash, didn’t contain any Paprika powder, so to say it was quite plain and was cooked with meat and onions over an open fire. The Paprika powder was imported to Europe and was so used for the first time in the Goulash only after the discovery of the Terra Nova, better known as the Americans.
Gulasch (the Austrian name and spelling) was used by the Austrian nobility to support the idea of a united Austrian-Hungarian Empire, yet they were not the ones who indulged it at the time. For a very long period it was the people’s food and in my opinion the reason for that was, that mostly rest meats were used to make this stew. I remember a teacher of mine mentioning once that Goulash was traditionally made with rest meats, meaning the least qualitative meats. By the way the original, traditional Goulash used to be prepared with Beef or even veal, but younger meat wasn’t always favored, since this stew was and is meant to be cooked over a period of time to gain flavor and aroma, and it makes more sense in this case to use tougher meats. Over time, as one can imagine, the goulash was prepared with pork, horse and even mutton meat and back then, the dish finally even reached the German lands and before it was popular in Germany, it was already everybody’s favorite in the Slavic countries such as Croatia, Slovenia and so on.
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So as you can see, Goulash has lots of History at the core of Europe and unsurprisingly the world has embraced it with open hands in their homes. While the recipe traveled over borders and cultures, it began to mutate and a so called goulash evolution occurred. This Beef Goulash recipe underneath is just the start of a series of different European, but especially Austrian Goulash, that I am intending to introduce you to over time. There are so many varieties and styles, that those certainly deserve each an own article devoted to their style, ingredients and cooking technique. Of course I haven’t forgotten the Vegetarian readers amongst us, so brace yourself for a traditional Veg version as well, which will be the next Goulash recipe in the future here.
However for now, let’s focus on the basic beef goulash underneath. Some people would call it the “old Vienna goulash” and others will tell you that this isn’t a basic goulash, yet according to chefs in Europe and my hotel management book it is the main goulash plate, available in Restaurants across Austria. You have to know, that in central Europe, everybody is very exact about names and little ingredient changes, but I am not going to be too much obsessed with that now…
What defines the Beef Goulash (better known as Rindsgulasch) is the use of Caraways seeds in combination with Paprika powder and Garlic as flavor. The meat, chopped onion & Garlic and paprika powder are glazed with Vinegar, so that the Paprika remains red. Here, white flour is used to bind the sauce. The meat itself is cut into 4cmx4cm thick cubes, compared to the pork gulasch that calls for 3cmx3cm thick meat cubes. My recipe includes all those steps, yet I have added some Tomato puree for the taste and as a color help, otherwise it’s pretty much what you would get if you were to order it in a Austrian inn. Oh by the way, I had served the gulasch with Spätzle noodles, which in my opinion fits well together, but feel free to serve it with other sides, such as rice, Knödels, Potatoes or even Polenta. Some folks out there eat it more like a soup, by dipping in bread, so that’s an other way of indulging it if you ever get bored of the dish. 😉
- 230 Gram Beef Flank cut
- 1 large Onion
- 7 Garlic pods
- 50 milliliter Tomato Paste
- 1½ Tablespoons Paprika Powder
- 1 Tablespoons Caraway seeds (not cumin - its not the same!)
- 2 Teaspoons Marjoram
- dash Vinegar
- 600 ml Water with 1 Maggie Beef Cube or Beef stock
- pinch Salt
- 1½ Tablespoon White Flour
- pinch Pepper
- 250 White Flour
- pinch Salt
- 1 Egg
- 150 milliliter Milk
- ½ Tbs Sunflower Oil
- Cut your Beef into 3-4 cm thick cubes and keep aside (I am not that exact here). Chop your Onion roughly and chop the Garlic pods as well.
- In a pot fry the Onions first glossy, then add the Garlic. After 2-3 minutes stir frying add the meat and continue to stir frequently. The onions should turn a bit yellow.
- Once the meat is a bit cooked on all sides, add in the Tomato paste and continue to add in the Paprika powder. (I add the paste first because I don't want the paprika powder to burn or it will taste bitter). Stir fry a little and continue to add in the Caraway seeds and Marjoram.
- Now, glaze it all with a good dash of Vinegar! Keep it to cook on slow heat for 2-3 minutes, then pour in the Water+Beef cube or use the Beef Stock, mix it and keep it covered stirring frequently, for 50 minutes on slow heat. The liquids will reduce and the covering of the pot will help the meat to soften.
- After 50 minutes cooking time, remove the pot from the heat and add the White flour to bind the sauce and Pepper for the taste.
- For the Spätzle noodles simply add the Flour and pinch of salt to a mixing bowl. Make a well in the center and add in the Egg, milk and oil. With a spoon mix the content till smooth but not too long or it will become to tough.
- Keep a big pot to boil with salt water and grab one of those special spätzle sieves.
- Once the water is boiling place the sieve on top of the pot. Now pour some of the dough onto it and push it down with a pastry card by moving with it from left to right.
- When the pastry comes through the wholes, it will look like that on the other side and fall into the boiling water.
- Do that with all the dough in one go if you have a big pot and if you are quick, otherwise work in batches. The noodles are ready when they are swimming on top. Strain them well and place them into a dish with butter. Mix and serve warm.
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My way of doing this would be to first dust the beef in seasoned flour then stir fry until it was starting to brown. Then add a tablespoon of soy sauce and stir till absorbed. Then the tomato paste. Then a glass of red wine and stir until that is absorbed. Then add an Oxo or Kallo cube plus water and heat for at least an hour so the meat gets tender.
Putting flour in when the cooking is finished as step 5 says will just make the food taste of flour
You are suggesting to add soy sauce, an ingredient that isn’t European at all, to a Beef goulash? Your recipe sounds delicious, but it isn’t a goulash, that is sure! When the cooking time is over and you add flour, it will bind because the stew cooked well for 50 minutes covered, so the heat remains and you don’t require to keep it any longer on the flame, but if you feel your stove isn’t heating enough, then you can keep it 1-2 min. longer. 😉
I totally agree. His recipe does sound yummy but it is definitely not goulash! I was born in Australia but have an Austrian mum and Danish dad. My mother’s parents were Hungarian and Czech so we had many many “strange” dishes when I was growing up. Back then all I wanted was to have food like all the other Aussie kids but now I really appreciate my heritage!! Though I still don’t like the liptaeur spread hahaha.
P.S. I tried to print your recipe but it doesn’t stay in the print page long enough to choose which printer etc, it flicks back to the recipe within like 1-2pm seconds 🙁
It is Goulash, just from a different region in Austria. 🙂
I am sorry that you have been struggling with the print window. Did you try using another browser as it might be a browser problem?
Here is the link again to print the recipe. Please let me know if it’s still giving you problems, then I will try to send it to you via email.
I would love to eat this right now. I love goulash and your recipe sounds incredible!
The photos are making me ravenous!
hehe, I realized already a while back that we had similar taste preferences Asmita. How much I wished I could prepare some for you and your husband to try. You really need to come to goa! 😉
I’ve never tried Goulash before but this definitely looks delicious! And it was so interesting and fun to see how the Spätzle noodles were made!
Oh wow nami you will love it! remember the oxtail soup, well it goes into that direction, yet of course oxtail gives a different flavor and here you have the addition of caraway seeds and paprika. =D
Your photos are incredible my friend this is such hearty meal 🙂
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
yes I know its a bit too hearty for the land down under where summer is coming up. Uru it tastes best for the soul when its cool outside =)
it looks absolutely delicious
thank you =)
I haven’t this since I lived at home. My mom would make this for us. It’s been ages. I should make this and see if Miss A and Mr. N like it. 🙂
I am curious how your kids will react to it. You have to know that I never liked it as a kid and that was only because my mum would use meat with fats on it ( I dont like that), back then I preferes the potato version but nowadays I d always favor this recipe first. =D
I’ll have a little Goulash with my Spätzle please:) Just kidding.. you’ve got my two favorite dishes here, I love Spätzle and the sauce from the Goulash would be heaven!!
Coming Barbara, I just need to find a beamer. =P I didnt know ti was your favorite dish, what a pleasant surprise! =D
The first time I tried Goulash, it was with a Hungarian Boss. The flavors had blown me away. I am not too fond of beef, so I had huge reservations. But truly, it was amazing. This looks equally mind blowing. Beautiful dish Helene.
I love the yellow nail paint 😀
So comforting!! I love the technique required to make spatzle’s 🙂
I am so pleased I have stumbled on to your site. I had a Hungarian friend when I was in my early 20’s and here kitchen always smelled of goulash, I can’t wait to make it! Also my new sister in law is Slovak and she has given me the noodle sieve but I didn’t know what to do with it until know!
Gosh, I love goulash (and if you don’t serve spätzle with it, it’s not really goulash!). My recipe is pretty close to yours, and I usually – though don’t always – use caraway seeds. They really add quite a bit of flavor, don’t they? Excellent post – thanks so much.
Absolutely scrumptious! What a great recipe, Helene! 🙂
Dear Helene I cannot picture you in GOA eating Gulasch! By the way, I am so happy that you posted this recipe because I’ve tried several times to cook this dish and it always tastes a little bit bland or chilli con carne style thanks to the cumin seeds. I must by the caraway seeds! Thanks for sharing
I thought I had had Goulash before but after looking at the recipe, I don’t think I have. I would remember a dish with paprika, caraway and a healthy supply of marjoram. What a rich and spicy looking dish!. Thanks for the history and all of the information about goulash. Very interesting. Your spaztle noodles look like a wonderful accompaniment!
I love this spice combination Helene, my grandfather used to love this dish, but I never knew how it was seasoned. I bet my boys would love this 🙂
Greetings!
We have visited Austria, and LOVED it! My husband is from the former Yugoslavia, so this is also a favourite dish, there – and I have made it many times. Love to see the little differences… but it is much the same. The quality of meat and paprika makes all the difference!
What an adventure you are on living in India! It is on my bucket list! 🙂 Valerie
This was a great post, and really interesting! It is funny, all this time of making my moms version of goulash, I thought that was the way it is always made. But love learning where it really originates, and the spices commonly used in the dish! Your recipe sounds wonderful, and I can only imagine the spatzle is a perfect compliment! Hugs, Terra
Hello, the goulash recipe is great!! But…don’t you hate it that there is always a “but”? Anyway, I could not help noticing that most if not all metric recipes use milliliters and grams as measures. When I lived in Europe where I was born and brought up we used more people friendly and logical measures that everyone could visualize such as liters, meters, and kilograms. Only pharmacies and scientific institutions used milliliters and grams. What happened? I just think that ordering 3500 grams of beef at your local butcher makes no sense. So, who is behind this silliness? I bet you it’s the pinko Frenchies. Who else would do this to the proletariat?
Ciao George from Prague
Hi George! Thanks for your comment. Everbody prefers a different measurement type. In austria it’s mostly all in dag and kg, which many don’t like to use including myself. I always preferd grams and milliter because of the simplicity and it seems to be more common in the world too. Most scales show grams and measurement glasses are in ml so it’s a standart. I am still waiting for one international common measurement to become custom in the world. It woukd simplify our work. =)
Anything below a kg is commonly mentioned in gram anything above naturaly in kg.
What do you mean with pinko frenchies?
Greetings to prague!