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1
Brown the Beef
12 Mins
Medium-high heat, ~200°C (400°F)
Melt the lard in a heavy pot over medium-high heat. Brown the beef cubes in batches, about 3 minutes per batch, until dark on the outside. Lift out and set aside; work in batches so the meat browns instead of steaming.
Brown in batches — a crowded pot steams the meat grey and the stew loses its deep colour.
Done when: Beef cubes dark brown on the outside, still pink inside.
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2
Build the Onion-Paprika Base
10 Mins
Medium heat, ~175°C (350°F)
Add the chopped onion to the same pot and cook 8 minutes, stirring often, until soft and golden. Take the pot off the heat, stir in the paprika and tomato paste, then return to the heat and cook 1 minute. Pour in the broth, scraping the browned bits off the bottom.
Always stir paprika in off the heat — it burns in seconds on a hot pan and turns bitter.
Done when: A deep red, fragrant base with the onion softened and the paprika bloomed, not scorched.
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3
Simmer the Stew
100 Mins
Gentle simmer, ~95°C (200°F)
Return the beef to the pot with the garlic, caraway, marjoram, salt and pepper. Bring to the barest simmer, cover, and cook on the lowest heat for about 100 minutes, stirring now and then, until the beef is tender and the sauce is thick and dark. Stir the flour paste in during the last 10 minutes if the sauce needs thickening.
Keep the liquid at the barest simmer — a rolling boil toughens the beef and the sauce never turns glossy.
Done when: Beef falls apart at a touch, sauce thick enough to coat a spoon, dark reddish-brown.
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4
Shape & Rise the Dumplings
10 Mins
No heat
While the stew simmers, punch the risen dough down and shape it into 2 logs about 5 cm thick on a floured surface. Cover and leave to rise again for 20 minutes. The dough should feel light and spring back slowly when pressed.
Flour your hands, not the dough — extra flour on the surface makes heavy dumplings.
Done when: Two smooth logs, risen and puffy, springing back slowly when pressed.
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5
Boil the Dumplings & Serve
20 Mins
Boiling water, 100°C (212°F)
Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Lower in the dough logs, cover and boil 18 to 20 minutes, turning once halfway. Lift out, prick with a fork to let the steam out, and slice into 2 cm rounds. Ladle the thick stew into bowls, scatter the raw onion over the top, and serve with the dumplings.
Pricking the dumplings as soon as they leave the water stops them collapsing as they cool.
Done when: Dumplings pale, springy and cooked through; stew thick and glossy, beef tender, onion bright on top.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve the stew steaming hot with three dumpling slices per person and a generous scatter of raw onion — the sharp onion against the rich, dark sauce is the classic Czech finish.
Czechia
3h
France
Vietnam