Rindsgulasch – Beef Goulash

Ingredients

2 lbs stewing beef (or chuck roast), cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
2 lbs onions, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup oil (or lard)
(approx) 5 ounces paprika (NOTE: You want smoked or Hungarian paprika, the dark red stuff. Do NOT use the lighter-coloured spicy kind of paprika. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!)
2 quarts cold water
1 teaspoon marjoram
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
1 teaspoon salt
flour or cornstarch to thicken sauce
lemon zest

Directions

Fry the onions on moderate heat for 20 minutes or until golden. Remove pan from heat, add the paprika and stir. (Do not fry the paprika, as it will turn bitter!) Add the water, marjoram, black pepper, garlic and caraway seeds, and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Add the meat to the sauce and cook on medium heat (or in a crockpot on high heat) until tender. Add salt if desired. To obtain a thicker sauce, you can add cornstarch.

Serve with: bread dumplings, white bread roll, spätzle, boiled potatoes, or even rice or pasta noodles!

My Notes

I prefer to serve this with dumplings, because of the warm and fuzzy childhood memories it brings, but this dish goes well with just about anything you can use to soak up the rich gravy.

This is the recipe I use most often for this dish, but it doesn't even have to be as complicated as that. My family recipe for this, as transcribed whilst helping my Omi cook one day, is simply: Equal amount of meat and onions. Brown them. Add water and spices. Simmer until meat is tender. Add flour if needed. 😉