Gulyás (Goulash) Soup
This thick, hearty soup was a common dish among cattle herdsmen of the Great Hungarian Plain (puszta) for centuries, and “gulyás” in fact means “herdsman”. In its original form the soup is prepared in an iron kettle on an open fire. It is a popular dish at Hungarian diplomatic events and definitely a “must” course on the menu of the Hungarian Ambassador in Ethiopia, personally prepared by his spouse. In Addis Ababa, it is recommended to use a pressure cooker to make sure that the beef is tender. The word “gulyás” has been adapted to many foreign languages as “goulash” and in some parts of the world stews and casseroles are called goulash too.
- 800 g beef shin
- 500 g peeled potatoes
- 3 tbsp. vegetable oil
- 1 onion (finely chopped)
- 2-3 tbsp. powdered sweet Hungarian paprika
- salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 2 tsp. ground caraway seed
- 2 tbsp. chopped celery leaves
- 2 medium carrots (cut into cubes)
- 2 medium parsnips (cut into cubes)
- 2 fresh sweet green peppers (if not available you can replace with yellow bell peppers)
- 2 medium tomatoes
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cloves of garlic (crushed)
- _
Cube the meat and potatoes into 2-3 cm pieces. Stew the onion in vegetable oil over low heat until golden yellow (not brown). Remove the pot from the heat, add the powdered sweet Hungarian paprika, and stir. Start heating the pot and add the meat, salt, garlic and 1 tsp. ground caraway seed. Add enough water to cover the meat. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover and stew until tender, adding more water if needed. Once the meat is tender, add the cubed potatoes, fresh green peppers and tomatoes, celery leaves, carrots, parsnips, and bay leaf. Add about 1.5 litres of water (optionally you can add a stock cube to enhance flavour). The soup should not be too thick or thin. Bring to a boil, then simmer until all the vegetables become soft. Add salt, ground black pepper and ground caraway seed to taste
In Addis Ababa, it is recommended to use a pressure cooker to make sure that the beef is tender.
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