-
1
Fry the Onions Golden
10 Mins
Medium heat, ~175°C (350°F)
Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat and fry the diced onions for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until soft, sweet and golden at the edges. Take the pot off the heat.
Take the pot off the heat before the paprika goes in — paprika burns in seconds over direct heat and turns bitter.
Done when: Soft, golden onions that smell sweet and rich.
-
2
Bloom the Paprika
1 Min
Off the heat, residual heat only
Sprinkle the paprika and the crushed caraway over the hot onions off the heat and stir hard for 30 seconds until the onions turn deep red and the paprika smells warm and earthy. Pour in a ladle of the warm stock at once and stir — it should hiss and turn into a thick red paste.
If the paprika smells sharp or acrid, it has burned — start the onions again, because bitter paprika cannot be fixed.
Done when: A thick, glossy red paste that smells sweet and warmly spiced.
-
3
Simmer the Beef
70 Mins
Gentle simmer, ~95°C (200°F)
Add the beef cubes, diced tomato, tomato paste, bell pepper and garlic, then pour in the rest of the stock. Bring to a gentle simmer, skim off any foam, cover loosely and cook for about 70 minutes, until the beef is tender and the broth is deep red. The beef should be tender but the liquid must stay soupy — this is a soup, not a stew.
Keep the liquid at a lazy bubble and do not reduce it hard — goulash soup should be spoonable, with plenty of broth in every bowl.
Done when: Tender beef in a deep red, soupy broth with vegetables softening around it.
-
4
Add the Root Vegetables
25 Mins
Gentle simmer, ~95°C (200°F)
Add the potatoes, carrots and parsnip to the pot and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes more, until the potatoes are tender all the way through and the beef is meltingly soft. Check the centre of a piece of beef with a thermometer — it should read at least 63°C (145°F), well above the safe minimum for beef. Season with salt and pepper.
Add the potatoes late, not at the start — they would fall apart in a two-hour simmer and turn the soup cloudy.
Done when: Tender potatoes and carrots in a rich red broth, with the beef soft enough to cut with a spoon.
-
5
Rest & Serve in Bowls
5 Mins
Serve hot, ~75°C (170°F)
Take the pot off the heat and let the soup rest for 5 minutes so the flavours settle. Ladle into deep bowls, making sure each serving has beef, potatoes and plenty of broth, and scatter the chopped parsley over the top. Serve with crusty white bread for dipping.
Resting for five minutes lets the paprika settle into the broth and the soup stops being hot enough to scald.
Done when: Steaming bowls of red soup with visible beef, potatoes and carrots under a scatter of parsley.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Ladle the goulash soup into deep bowls with plenty of broth in every serving, scatter parsley over the top, and put crusty bread on the table for dipping.
Hungary
1h 15m
France
Vietnam