Hungarian Goulash

Hungarian Goulash

The dish which comes to everyone's mind, the moment they hear Hungarian food, is Goulash. The original Goulash is always cooked with beef, but I'll tell you how to cook the dish with Lamb or Mutton. In case you cook and eat beef, you can very easily replace it. Not that cooking with mutton or lamb, makes any difference in taste, but if you can stick to he original recipe, why change?

Preparation Time  : 15 minutes

Cooking  Time      : 2 hours

Difficulty               : Medium

Serves                   : 4

Ingredients:                

• 3 tablespoons Vegetable or canola oil
• 700 grams of Boneless Steak (it can be Mutton/lamb or beef), trimmed of fat and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 large Onion, cut in half and sliced 1/4-inch thick
• 1 clove Garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon sweet or hot Hungarian paprika (use normal Paprika or Mild Red Chili powder instead) 
• 1 cup water, or enough to cover ingredients
• 1 large green Capsicum, seeded and quartered
• 1 large Tomato, peeled, seeded and quartered
• 1/4 teaspoon Caraway seeds (In India we call it Ajwain)
• 4 medium red Potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 medium Carrots, peeled, and cut into cubes.
• Salt to Taste and
• Freshly ground Black pepper

Method :

1) In a Deep pan with a lid, heat oil and add Mutton/Lamb or beef pieces, browning well on all sides. Remove meat on a plate and set aside.

2) In the same oil and add onion and garlic. Saute 3 minutes and return Mutton/Lamb or Beef to the pan. Stir well for a few some time.

3) Add paprika, stirring to evenly coat the meat.

4) Now add water, Capsicum, Tomato and Caraway. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir well to mix.

5) Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to very low and cook 1 1/2 hours or until meat is almost fork tender. Do not cook Goulash in a pressure cooker, it will never taste same, because the flavour come from slow braising.

6) Add potatoes and carrots and cook another 30 minutes or until potatoes done. Check them by piercing the thickest part with the tip of a knife.

7) Check the seasoning and adjust. Serve hot with Loads of mashed potatoes.