Hungarian Goulash

Ingredients

• 1kg beef shin or chuck, cubed
• 4 onions, sliced
• 4 tablespoons sweet Hungarian paprika
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds, crushed
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 red peppers, sliced
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 3 carrots, thickly sliced
• 2 potatoes, cubed
• 1.2 litres beef stock
• 3 tablespoons lard or oil
• Salt and black pepper

Before you cook

• Slice the onions — you want roughly the same weight of onion as meat.
• Crush the caraway seeds lightly.

Steps

1. Cook the onions in the lard over low heat for 20 minutes until completely soft and golden.
2. Take the pot off the heat before adding the paprika, because paprika burns and turns bitter in seconds.
3. Stir the paprika, caraway and garlic through the onions off the heat.
4. Return to low heat, add the beef and turn it until coated.
5. Add the tomatoes and a splash of stock and cook for 10 minutes.
6. Pour in the rest of the stock, bring to a bare simmer and cover.
7. Cook very gently for 90 minutes.
8. Add the carrots, peppers and potatoes and cook uncovered for 40 minutes more.
9. The goulash is ready when the beef shreds and the liquid has thickened slightly.