Gulash soup recipe

Ingredients for 4-5 person:

• 2 tablespoons oil or lard
• 600 g beef shin or shoulder, or any tender part of the beef cut into 2 x 2 cm cubes
• 2 medium onions chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1-2 carrots, diced
• 2-3 medium potatoes, sliced
• 2 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 parsnip, diced
• 1-2 celery leaves
• 2 fresh green peppers
• 1 tablespoon Hungarian sweet paprika powder
• 1 teaspoon ground caraway seed
• 1 bay leaf
• ground black pepper and salt according to taste
• water

For csipetke:

• 1 small egg
• flour
• a pinch of salt
• cc. 1 teaspoon water

Gulash is our traditional soup of meat, cooked with onions, vegetables seasoned with paprika and other spices. Potato and noodles (csipetke in Hungarian) are also added according to some recipes.



Even in Hungary every other housewife has her own way of cooking it by adding or omitting some of the ingredients, or changing something in the preparation process.
Heat up the oil or lard in a pot and toast the chopped onions in it until they get a nice golden brown colour.
Add the beef cubes and and sauté them till they turn white and get a bit of brownish colour as well.
Set aside while sprinkle it with paprika powder while stirring them to avoid burn of paprika (it can get a bitter taste) .
Add the grated garlic, the cubed tomatoes, the ground caraway seeds, some salt and ground black pepper, the bay leaf, pour enough water to cover the content of the pan and let it simmer on low heat for a while.
When the meat is half-cooked (cc. in 1,5 hour, but it can take longer depending on the type and quality of the beef) add the diced carrots, parsnip and the potatoes, the celery leaf and some more salt if necessary (vegetables tend to call for more salt). You’ll probably have to add some more (2-3 cups) water too.
When the vegetables and the meat are almost done add the sliced green peppers. Let it cook on low heat for another few minutes. You may remove the lid of the pan if you want the soup to thicken.
Csipetke word comes from the word csípni, meaning pinch in English, referring to the way of making this noodle. To preparation beat up a small egg. Add a pinch of salt and as much flour as you need to knead a stiff dough, you can add some water if necessary. Flatten the dough between your palmsand pinch small, bean-sized pieces from it and add them to the boiling soup. They need about 5 minutes to get cooked.