Gulyás Leves / Hungarian Gulyás / Goulash

Credit: Marika’s Kitchen

2 lbs. chuck roast, cut across the grain, into cubes
1 medium onion, diced fine
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. ground caraway
1-1/3 Tbsp. salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 medium tomato peeled and minced
1 medium green pepper, deseeded and quartered (for flavor) or a Hungarian white pepper diced very fine or added halved for flavor. (this is rare to find)

6 cups water
2 lbs. red potatoes, peeled and diced (approx. 1-1/2 lbs. after peeled)
1-1/2 cups (10oz.) carrots, peeled and diced
1-1/2 cups (1/2 bunch) Italian parsley, stemmed and minced
1-1/2 cups (6.2 oz.) parsley root(if available) or celery root, peeled and diced extra small
4 bay leaves

Cut Marbled chuck roast into small cubes. Cut across the grain and remove large areas of dense fat while leaving an adequate amount of marbling.
Sauté cubed meat, diced onions, and minced garlic over medium heat, stirring occasionally for 20 to 30 minutes.
About 20 minutes in, add 1 tsp. ground caraway seed and 1 tsp. salt, continuing to stir occasionally.
After about 30 minutes, add 1 heaping Tbsp. of sweet Hungarian paprika, stir well and simmer a few minutes while continuing to stir.
Between 30 seconds and a minute after adding the paprika, add peeled minced tomato, 1/2 teaspoon of crushed black pepper and another tsp. of salt and stir.
a. If moisture has evaporated prematurely, and meat does not have enough sauce to simmer/slow boil for another 30 minutes, add 5-6 cups of water right after step #6 and continue to simmer/slow boil for 30 minutes; covered and stirring occasionally.

When meat is tender add vegetables.
Add 1-1/2 cups carrots, 1-1/2 cups finely diced celery rootor parsley root, 1-1/2 lbs. diced potatoes, 1-1/2 cups minced stemmed Italian parsley leaves and 2 tsp. salt.
Medium simmer/slow boil until potatoes and carrots are soft when pierced with a sharp knife.
Taste sauce and adjust to preference. (If too salty, add a little more water, if not salty enough add a little more salt.
Remove all bay leaves before serving. Bay leaves are a serious choke hazard and are not meant to be eaten.
Serve with dumplings or csipetke. Linked below!

Notes:

The first half of this recipe is the recipe for Beef Pörkölt. As long as you have a good marbled chuck roast and you cut it across the grain (see video about cutting meat), you’ll have flavorful moist meat in your gulyás. The longer the meat simmers before adding the veggies and water, the more tender it will be.
If your meat is too lean, it will be less flavorful and less moist.
I do not add in the vegetables until the meat is tender.
If I have a nice Hungarian white pepper, I will mince one very fine to add in with the simmering meat at the same time I add the peeled, minced tomato and I add another one deseeded and halved with the veggies.
If I am using green peppers, I usually deseed, quarter and add with veggies after water is added since many people do not like peppers. This too can be minced fine and added at the time of the minced tomato.
When simmering the beef, onions and garlic, if using a high quality stainless pot, usually there is enough moisture to cook without adding water until vegetables are added. If your pots are thin walled, or you are cooking at too high of a heat, the possibility of losing your moisture to evaporation too quickly might be a concern. Watch to be sure this doesn’t happen. If it does, you will have to add the water right after adding the Hungarian paprika.
Be careful when adding in the paprika to be sure to not burn it. Burned paprika is quite bitter and will ruin your Gulyás.