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Hungarian Goulash Soup with Beef, Bell Pepper and Potatoes
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Source: https://recipheon.com/en/recipes/soups/hungarian-goulash-soup-with-beef-bell-pepper-and-potatoes
About this recipe
Hungarian goulash soup combines tender beef, potatoes and bell pepper in a thin broth with sweet paprika and caraway. Beef shoulder is first browned in small batches, then simmered gently until a fork slips easily into the meat. Add the ground paprika to the onion off the heat and immediately pour in water so it keeps its color and does not turn bitter. Add potatoes, carrots and fresh bell pepper only once the beef is tender: the vegetables keep their shape and the red broth remains clearly liquid. The recipe makes six large servings; plan for about three hours and fifteen minutes, allowing for the beef's gentle simmer.
Ingredients
Goulash soup
900 g raw boneless beef shoulder, weight after removing thick outer membranes and excess visible fat
750 g raw firm-fleshed potatoes, weight after peeling
300 g onion, weight after peeling
300 g red bell pepper, weight without the seed cores and stems
200 g raw carrots, weight after peeling
200 g ripe tomatoes, weight without the tough stem cores; the skins and flesh stay in the soup
10 g garlic, weight after peeling
25 g ground sweet paprika for the broth
2 g ground caraway for the broth
40 ml refined canola oil: 30 ml for three batches of beef and 10 ml for the onion; the fat stays in the soup
14 g fine salt: 6 g for the beef, 4 g for the broth base and 4 g when adding the vegetables
1 g ground black pepper for the broth
2.4 l water: 1.8 l for the broth base, including 100 ml to moisten the paprika, 300 ml to add after one hour of cooking the beef and 300 ml when adding the vegetables; do not drain the water
Steps
Have ready a heavy pot with a capacity of at least 6 l, a base about 24 cm in diameter and a lid, plus a plate for the browned beef. Pat the trimmed shoulder dry and cut into cubes 2–2.5 cm across; finely dice the onion, chop the garlic and cut the tomatoes into pieces about 1 cm across. Measure the spices and all the water, dividing it into 1.8 l for the base and two portions of 300 ml to add later. Prepare the potatoes and remaining vegetables toward the end of the beef's cooking time so the peeled potatoes do not sit for two hours.
Divide the beef into three batches of 300 g and season each with 2 g salt just before cooking. Heat the pot for about 2 minutes over medium-high heat, add 10 ml oil and spread the first batch in a single layer, with space between the pieces. Cook for 4–5 minutes, turning once the first side has browned, until the surfaces are brown; the centers will finish cooking later in the broth. Transfer to the plate and repeat with the remaining two batches, adding 10 ml oil each time. Reserve all the juices on the plate and the browned bits in the pot, without any black, burned pieces.
AI-generated Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the remaining 10 ml oil and all the onion. Cook for 6–8 minutes, stirring, until softened and just starting to turn golden; add the garlic and caraway and heat for about 30 seconds more. Remove the pot from the burner, add 25 g ground sweet paprika, stir for about 20 seconds and immediately pour in 100 ml water taken from the 1.8 l for the base. The paprika should become moist and turn the onion red; do not cook it dry and do not wait until it darkens and starts to smell burned.
AI-generated Return all the beef and its juices from the plate, add the tomatoes, 4 g salt and all the pepper. Pour in the remaining 1.7 l water from the portion set aside for the base, thoroughly scraping the browned bits from the bottom with a spoon. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat to low and cover the pot, leaving a small gap at the lid. The beef should be submerged, with just a few gentle bubbles appearing at the surface, without vigorous bubbling.
Cook at a gentle simmer for 90–120 minutes from the start of simmering, stirring about every 30 minutes; after 60 minutes, pour in the first 300 ml reserved water and continue over low heat. Start checking the beef after 90 minutes: a fork should slip easily into a cube, and a piece should separate under light pressure while still holding its shape. If the beef is still tough, cover the pot more tightly and cook longer over low heat until it reaches the same tenderness, rather than adding the potatoes yet. Prepare the vegetables as described in the next step toward the end of this stage; the broth should still be liquid and cover the beef.
When the beef is nearly tender, peel the potatoes and carrots and remove the seed cores and stems from the bell pepper; weigh the listed edible amounts. Cut the potatoes into cubes about 2 cm across, the carrots into half-rounds about 1 cm thick and the bell pepper into pieces about 2 cm across. Add the prepared vegetables as soon as the beef reaches the tenderness described in the previous step.
Add all the potatoes, carrots and fresh bell pepper only once the beef is tender. Pour in the final 300 ml reserved water and add the remaining 4 g salt, then stir gently to submerge the vegetables in the broth. Separate pieces of beef and vegetables should be visible in the pot, surrounded by freely flowing red liquid; you will use 2.4 l water and 14 g salt in total.
AI-generated Bring the soup back to a gentle boil over medium heat, then cook over low heat with the lid slightly ajar for 20–25 minutes. A fork should pierce the potatoes and carrots easily, and the bell pepper should be soft but still visible in pieces; stir gently so you do not crush the potatoes. Remove the pot from the heat when the vegetables are ready: keep the soup liquid and do not reduce the broth to a thick sauce.
Divide all the soup among six large deep plates or bowls, scooping up beef and vegetables from the bottom and ladling in broth. Serve hot, with a similar amount of beef, potatoes, bell pepper and liquid in each portion.
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