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hungarian ginger goulash

(1 rating)
Recipe by
Monica H
Michigan City, IN

The way my mom makes it... plus my own twist of adding ginger! Goulash recipes vary from country to country, region to region, town to town, farm to farm, family to family! Of course my mom makes it the best ;o)- Some people find making goulash scary, but its really simple (no, really; it is!); it just seems like tons of ingredients and steps. When you get into making it, you will realize its just a bunch of sauteeing, adding, stirring, adding, stirring, thickening and more stirring. Your patience will be rewarded :) I like to use all colors of bell peppers but it will taste beautiful if you use all green, all red, or whatever mix. I also cut back on the salt in this dish, so when you taste it, you may want to add more salt to your liking.

(1 rating)
yield serving(s)
prep time 20 Min
cook time 1 Hr 10 Min
method Stove Top

Ingredients For hungarian ginger goulash

  • 1 1/2 lb
    cubed beef
  • 1/4 c
    grated fresh ginger (a little more if you love ginger, like i do :)
  • 1/4 c
    olive oil
  • 3 Tbsp
    balsamic vinegar
  • 3 Tbsp
    kosher salt
  • 2 Tbsp
    pepper
  • 1/4 c
    paprika (for marinating)
  • 1/4 c
    paprika (for cooking)
  • 1/2 c
    flour
  • 1
    large yellow onion
  • 2 Tbsp
    butter
  • 1 Tbsp
    sugar
  • 4
    bell peppers (1 of each: green, red, yellow, orange)
  • 1 pt
    mushrooms
  • 2 c
    baby carrots
  • 1 c
    celery, chopped
  • 2 1/2 c
    water
  • 1 c
    beef broth
  • 8 oz
    sour cream
  • 1/4 c
    half and half
  • 1/4 c
    cornstarch
  • extra olive oil for sauteeing
  • one pan to sautee and one pot to cook it all in
  • handful of freshly chopped dill (optional)
  • handful of freshly chopped parsley (optional)

How To Make hungarian ginger goulash

  • 1
    Mix cubed beef with ginger, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and 1/4 c of the paprika. Stir to mix and coat well, and even use your hands to massage the marinade into the meat. I like to marinate this overnight, but you can also marinate it for 2 hours in the fridge and 1 hour out of the fridge.
  • 2
    Heat up 1/4 cup olive oil in pot. Dredge meat in flour and add to pot, stirring ever once in a while. Keep on a medium heat to brown meat, but not to burn it.
  • 3
    Carmelize onions in pan with olive oil and sugar. About 10 minutes into the carmelization, add 2 tbs butter on top of onions, let melt and stir.
  • 4
    Add onions to meat, then add 1 1/2 cup water, 1 cup broth, carrots and celery. Stir well, cover, and keep covered for the rest of the cooking, only lifting to add stuff / stir.
  • 5
    Slice and sautee all the peppers. When tender, add to meat. Add 1 cup water, the other 1/4 cup paprika, and stir.
  • 6
    Slice and sautee mushrooms. Add to pot.
  • 7
    Add sour cream to pot, give a few good stirs, then lower heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring every 5-7 minutes.
  • 8
    Put cornstarch in a bowl. Remove about 3 ladles of the hot liquid from pot and pour over cornstarch (try not to get any meat or veggies out...just pure liquid).
  • 9
    With a spoon, mix liquid and cornstarch together, mashing it up against the sides of the bowl to work out any hard cornstarch balls that may form. Make it as smooth as possible.
  • 10
    Slowly pour liquid back into pot, through a sieve, using the spoon to gently press up the liquid against the bottom and sides of the sieve, preventing the gooey cornstarch from getting through (if a little gets through, its OK).
  • 11
    Add the half and half. Cover, simmer for 30-40 minutes until the meat and veggies are tender. Taste to see if you need more salt / pepper, or if you like the thickness. Repeat thickening process if sauce is too watery. Add milk or water if sauce is too thick. In the last few moments of simmering, add chopped dill and parsley, if you so desire.
  • 12
    Serve over egg noodles or rice, or just with some really good and thick bread. :)
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