Hungarian goulash and other one pot cooking

Every night of our family holiday at Hullam Hostel on the shores of Lake Balaton in Hungary, we ate the stew that the hostel served up, cooked in a huge cooking pot over the open fire. The weather was warm and the guests sat in the open air bar area adjoining the street, chatting, chilling, playing cards and listening to the jazz and world music that was a constant backdrop. The hostel’s guest kitchen was a miniscule area of shed with a sink and 2 ring burner – but the hostel had come up with a great way of overcoming these shortcomings.

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Every night they cooked up a different one-pot stew that they served up in bowls with slices of fresh bread. One night was Hungarian goulash, another was ham and cabbage. They ran an all-you-can-eat system and we found ourselves going back for bowl after bowl of the delicious home cooked stew.

The supper was really cheap too – I don’t remember the exact cost but I think it was £3-4 per person, so you’d have been mad not to eat it, even though there is a mini supermarket and fabulous greengrocers right next door.

At around 4 o’clock we’d watch the young chef arrive and get chopping all the vegetables, throwing them into the huge cooking pot which would gently bubbled away for a few hours over the open fire. Apparently this is a really popular way for the Hungarians to cook together, just as we might fire up the barbie, and we saw plenty of the cooking pots being sold beside the road.

I asked Hullam Hostel if they could send me their recipe for the Hungarian goulash that they serve at the hostel so I could share it with you, and here it is…

Hungarian Goulash is best made on open fire in a kettle. This recipe serves 10 people

– Stew 70 dkg chopped onion on low heat in lard or in oil until it is golden yellow.
– Take it off the fire and add 3 large spoonfuls of red paprika powder (Hungarian)
– Add 2 dl water and 1kg of beef (cut into 1 inch cubes) Put it back and cook it on high fire until the meat is white and a little bit fried.
– Now add a whole garlic (finely chopped) , 2 coffeespoonfuls of caraway (whole) some ground black pepper, 3 tomatoes cubed , 2 sliced sweet paprika (in Hungary it is called TV paprika which means paprika to be stuffed)
– Stir it well and add 6-7 litres of water and return to medium heat and simmer it for three hours.
– When the meat is nearly tender add 70 dkg peeled potatoes (cut into cubes) 3 sliced parsnips and 5 sliced carrots and 1 piece of celery root cubed.
– Cook until all ingredients are tender and at this point you can add some finely chopped parsley if you like.

Enjoy it! Yummmmmy!

So there you are folks, dig out that cooking pot, string it up over the open fire and cook up your own Hungarian Goulash.

More good things to eat from Hungary

Lángos and other street food – in Hungary
Sour cherry soup at Salföld in Hungary
The Festetics Palace and the marzipan museum at Keszthely – in Hungary

Many thanks* to Hullam Hostel in Revfulop for the Hungarian goulash recipe and for the great holiday we had at Lake Balaton in Hungary

* More info on my policies page

This article is originally published at Heatheronhertravels.com

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