A hearty, paprika-forward beef stew inspired by Hungarian goulash, Indonesian Rendang, but with plenty of improvisation. This recipe is intentionally flexible—treat it like a framework you can riff on.
Note: I believe this is more of a Pörkölt, another Hungarian dish, but I did have Goulash in Budapest similar to this recipe.
Inspired by these:
- Beef chuck roast (4–7 lb, depending on Dutch oven size), cut into ~2" cubes
- Onions (equal in volume to beef, ~5–8 large onions, mostly yellow but mix types if you like)
- Garlic, several cloves, chopped
- Red bell peppers, diced (Optional)
- Tomatoes (fresh, canned, or paste) (Optional)
- Hungarian sweet paprika – 3+ Tbsp (the star of the dish - can use 1 Tbsp per lb of meat, or less)
- Black pepper – about ½ Tbsp or more
- Salt – generous
- Coriander – ~1 tsp
- Cardamom (ground) – ~1 tsp
- Caraway seed – ~½ tsp, ground (strong flavor, go light)
- Cumin seed – ~¼ tsp, ground (use subtly)
- Freshly grated nutmeg
- Cinnamon stick – 1" piece (remove before serving) (Optional)
- Bacon – several slices, cut small (to render fat) (Optional - or just use olive oil)
- Beef or chicken stock, enough to nearly cover meat (Optional - or just use water)
- Coconut milk – substitute part of the stock (Optional but recommended)
- Carrots
- Parsnips
- Beets (great color and flavor)
- Potatoes
- Any other roots or fridge-rescues
- Fresh ginger
- Sambal oelek or another chili paste
- Garam masala (~1 Tbsp)
- Spicy red pepper powder (Kashmiri, etc.)
- Homemade rendang paste (from Food Wishes recipe, sauté before onions)
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Beef prep
- Trim excess hard fat and silverskin, but leave some marbling.
- Cube into ~2" chunks (smaller ones will melt more, which is fine).
- Or, cut more into strips. Smallers strips will cook faster.
- Salt generously (dry brine) for a few hours or up to days ahead.
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Vegetable prep
- Slice onions into thin strips or dice (they should melt down).
- Roughly chop garlic.
- Dice red peppers.
- Prep optional vegetables later in the cooking process.
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Spice prep
- Measure and grind seeds as needed. Keep ready for quick addition.
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Render bacon fat
- Cook bacon slowly in Dutch oven until crisp. Remove bacon (snack on it) and leave fat behind.
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Onions
- Add onions to bacon fat, cook until very soft and translucent (10+ minutes). Slight caramelization is fine, maybe preferred.
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Aromatics
- Stir in garlic, peppers, and tomatoes/paste. Cook briefly.
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Spices
- Remove pot from heat. Stir in paprika and other spices to avoid burning. Mix well.
- Note: Removing pot from heat is a trick I've seen Hungarian grandmothers on youtube say is necessary to not burn the paprika. I also sometimes just add the liquid, beef, and paprika together and can skip this.
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Add beef
- Stir to coat cubes with spice-onion mixture.
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Add liquid
- Pour in stock (or coconut milk first, then stock) until meat is almost covered.
- Put back on heat.
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Simmer
- Bring to a gentle boil, then lower to a bare simmer. Cook uncovered 3–4 hours, stirring occasionally.
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Add vegetables
- Root vegetables: add about halfway through.
- Potatoes: add early if you want them to dissolve, or in big chunks ~30 min before the end for texture.
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Adjust
- Add more stock if it gets too thick, or leave it to reduce if you want it heartier.
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Finish
Goulash is ready when beef is fork-tender and breaks apart with gentle pressure. I usually account for 3-4 hours starting from when the pot is simmering after the beef is added.
- Serve with rice, pasta, spatlze, or csipetke.
- Don’t be shy with the onions or paprika—they define the dish.
- Flexibility is the point: lean earthy (beets, carrots), spicy (sambal, Kashmiri chili), or rich (coconut milk, garam masala), or more soupy or more stewey or more rendengy.
- Make sure not to undercook the meat. It can take a lot of time.