Hungarian Goulash Soup (Gulyásleves) is a rich and aromatic soup filled with hearty vegetables, beef, sweet Hungarian paprika, parikacrem, petite little dumplings and lots of fresh parsley is sure to warm you up and cures what ails you this fall.
My dear friend, Anna, showed me how to make this traditional Hungarian soup just like her mother and grandmother used to make. Anna is from Hungary and is a beautiful musician and conductor. I love listening to her music and was very lucky to have her as a next door apartment neighbour for a few months. She is even a better cook!
Anna brought with her a little taste of Hungary with her on her arrival to Hong Kong. She had homemade freshly ground Hungarian Paprika. It is vibrant red/orange colour and makes all of your dishes taste amazing.
What is Paprikacrem?
Anna also brought with her a few tubes of "Paprikacrem" that is a wonderful combination of roasted peppers, chilis and tomatoes and not like anything I have ever tasted before. I think this would be very difficult to replicate but it tastes similar to tomato paste mixed with pureed roasted red peppers and pureed roasted red chilis and salt. So if you wanted to make this dish and cannot find paprikacrem, then this would be my exchange.
What is a Pörkölt?
Anna started off making a Pörkölt which is a stew with boneless meat, paprika, tomato, onion, garlic, paprika creme and paprika and already her house smelled amazing. This is the delicious base for the Hungarian Goulash Soup (Gulyásleves).
Secret Ingredient to Hungarian Goulash Soup (Gulyásleves)
Then after she added the potatoes, carrots, water and dumpling it was a rich and aromatic Hungarian goulash. Hungarian goulash is one of the national dishes of Hungary. Hungarian goulash is a stew with more gravy or a soup using meat, paprika, vegetables and potato and tiny dumplings simmered along with the meat. I know that some people add caraway seeds to the soup base but this was not in her families recipe, instead they used the fragrant and delicious paprikacrem.
Dumplings
My favourite part of the soup is making the dumplings. They are sweet little petite dumplings made simply with eggs, salt and just enough flour so that it makes a soft drop biscuit. These biscuits are tender and float to the top when they are done and make the Gulyásleves a hearty and delicious soup. If you like dumplings, you may want to try our Grandma's Chicken and Sliders Recipe.
Where can you find Parsley Roots in Hong Kong?
Anna has moved to Hong Kong and could find the parsley roots anywhere that she used to find in Hungary as this was part of her families' Gulyásleves recipe. The straight up answer to that is you can't, so you must substitute. So we exchanged with lots of extra flat leaf fresh parsley in her soup and it was lovely. Anna also used the Hungarian brand of vegetable bouillon powder called "Vegeta" but you could exchange with your favourite brand of vegetable powder (bouillon powder). I brought Anna over some fresh parsnips, thinking they were the same product. I was wrong.
Root Parsley vs parsnips
Just as a FYI, parsley root and parsnip are similar in appearance, but they are two completely different vegetables. Root parsley tastes like parsley. Parsnips have a taste all of their own and are kind of sweet. There's also a difference in how the leaves are arranged at the top of the root. Root parsley has leaves sporadically on top of the root. However, parsnips leaves are in a tidily inside a ring, much like that of carrots. Root parsley is usually around 11-12 inches long and parsnips are similar to the length of a carrot. The root parsley is rather thin, like a carrot. Parsnips are sometimes double the diameter of carrots. However, we could talk about this until we are blue in the face, still no parsley roots in Hong Kong. Full stop!
I hope that your family enjoys this recipe as much as my family did. I highly recommending doubling this recipe if you have hungry teenagers at home as they will love this comforting soup after a stressful back to school day.
Thank you so much Anna for a lovely lunch and tutorial on how to make one of Hungary's most loved dishes, Hungarian Goulash Soup Gulyásleves.
More Delicious Cozy Soup Recipe
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Hungarian Goulash Soup (Gulyásleves)
Recipe Courtesy of Anna Feher
Ingredients
Hungarian Goulash Soup Base
- 1 tablespoon oil
(sunflower or other light tasting oil) - 1 onion
medium chopped - 3 cloves garlic
peeled and minced - 1 teaspoon vegetable bouillon powder
(we used the Hungarian Vegeta brand but you can use whatever vegetable powder you like) - 3 teaspoon Hungarian Paprika
- 1 cup tomatoes
chopped (we used little cherry tomatoes and cut in half) - 8 oz beef
2 eye of beef steaks - white pepper
to taste - 2 tablespoon Paprikacrem See notes below for exchange ideas
- 6-8 cups water (part for covering beef to simmer and rest to make the soup)
- 3 carrots
peeled and sliced in about ¼ inch slices - 2 potatoes
large, peeled and chopped - ½ cup parsley
large handful of flat leaf parsley chopped, if you can find parsley roots this is even better.
Petite Dumplings
- 1 egg
- salt
to taste - 2-3 tablespoon flour or just enough to make a thick paste
Instructions
- Add sunflower oil to a big soup pot along with onions and garlic until sweated off.
- Take the pan off the heat and add paprika and mix. Then add tomatoes, beef and a little white pepper and place back on the burner to cook.
- Add just enough water to cover meat and decrease the heat down to a medium simmer. Cook until tomatoes break down and you can no longer see it, about 20 minutes. You could extend this time if you wished to make the meat more tender with a low and slow cook.
- Add the rest of water, about 6-8 cups and bring to a boil. Add carrots, potatoes and handful of parsley and cook until vegetables are fork tender.
- Make the petite dumplings: In a little bowl beat one egg and add a pinch of salt and about 2-3 tablespoons of flour or just enough flour to make a thick paste pasta dough.
- Drop the pasta into the Hungarian Goulash Soup with just about a teaspoon of pasta dough at a time. The pasta will float up to the top when cooked.
- Garnish with fresh parsley and serve with crusty bread and enjoy. (Anna liked to garnish her Gulyásleves with a little bit of spicy paprika sauce but I loved it just liked it was, rich and flavorful)
Peachy @ The Peach Kitchen says
Such a mouthwatering-soup! I so love your photo, Bam!
Courtney says
What a lucky family to have this made for you! Yum!
Healthy World Cuisine says
I agree Courtney, we are blessed! Have a super week.
Tonette Joyce says
Now I can't wait for cooler weather to try this.It looks wonderful!
Healthy World Cuisine says
It is of course been flaming hot here in HK but very damp and for some reason this soup just hits the spot. Take Care, BAM
milkandbun says
Gulyash is perfect for autumn cold days! Very comforting dish!
ChgoJohn says
Buona notte, BAM! What a great dish! I've not prepared goulash in ages and this soup sounds wonderful. I frequent a couple of Eastern European groceries and wonder if I could find Paprikacrem in any of them. It certainly would be worth looking for. I got a chuckle with your suggestion of doubling the recipe if teenage boys are in the house. I bet you could triple it and barely have any leftovers. Gosh, to have that metabolism again!
Hope you're havng a wonderful weekend, BAM!
Healthy World Cuisine says
Buona Notte John! I am delighted that you like this dish. I certainly hope that you can find Paprikacrem as it really is gorgeous. My friend Anna says that is even wonderful on sandwiches. I can just imagine it with some grilled vegetables and fresh mozzarella and a little Paprikacrem and that sounds divine. I so wish that I had the metabolism of a 16 year old athletic boy, I would be anorexic.. LOL Take Care, BAM
yummychunklet says
What beautifully plated and photographed dishes!
Healthy World Cuisine says
Thank you so much. I am trying but still have so much to learn about food photography.
shashi @ http://runninsrilankan.com says
Thanks so much for sharing with us what you learned from your wonderful neighbor - I had never heard of Pörkölt or Paprikacrem or hungarian goulash! That Paprikacrem sounds pretty incredible and your photos of this soup are making me want soup - at 10.40am!!!
Healthy World Cuisine says
Hello Shashi, so glad that we could introduce you to a new dish. 10:40am is perfect timing for a bowl of soup, call it brunch.
Kumar's Kitchen says
Oh such a heart warming stew...we have had varied Gulyas before...at home we usually make it with double beans,carrots and dumplings....but this is what we would be making staple at home from now....it tastes heavenly,thanks for such amazing recipes 🙂
Healthy World Cuisine says
Thank you. I think everyone has their own version of Gulyasleves and it is so fun hearing about all the differences as all of them are delicious. The addition of beans sounds delightful and would make it extra hearty and filling. Take Care, BAM
Amira says
You are lucky for having such a nice, talented neighbor. Lovely soup with so much flavors.
Healthy World Cuisine says
We are blessed to have had some many beautiful neighbors while living here in Hong Kong. Anna is such a sweetheart.
Abbe@This is How I Cook says
My father's eyes would light up if he saw this. Food from the old country!
Healthy World Cuisine says
Hello Abbe, you should make this dish for your dad next time you see him. All of your dishes are wonderful so he would love anything you made him and he would ask for seconds.
gourmetgetaway says
So happy to see goulash again! I loved it the first time I came to know about this dish. Flavourful with tender beef! Ahhh...
Julie
Gourmet Getaways
Healthy World Cuisine says
Thank you Julie. There is just something about fall that makes my body crave warm and aromatic soups and stews. Have a super weekend
Balvinder says
I love the name of the soup! and somehow looks so comforting and delicious!
Healthy World Cuisine says
I think this is the perfect soup to curl up on the sofa with and a good book/kindle and enjoy.
Amy (Savory Moments) says
This soup looks very hearty and delicious - perfect for the upcoming fall weather coming our way!
Healthy World Cuisine says
Thank you amy. I will pass your kind message on to Anna.
dianeskitchentable says
You have met so many interesting and talented people in Hong Kong, and from such diverse cultures. I envy you're experiences there and love how you're embracing the experience. You just can't get a more authentic Hungarian goulash than this one and I can see it disappearing in a flash.
Healthy World Cuisine says
Hello Diane, I feel so blessed to have met some many beautiful friends and to have the opportunity to mix with many new cultures and learn so much. There are so many opportunities in the world and enjoying every minute of it. I think one of the best ways to learn about a new culture is to learn the language and make family traditional recipes. Now the whole language part is difficult but learning how to make a new dish is a joy. Take Care, BAM
Kristy says
This looks nothing like the goulash I grew up eating. This looks so much more flavorful and delicious. How fun you were able to exchange recipes. The dumplings would definitely make this a winner for me. 🙂
Healthy World Cuisine says
Hello Kristy, I would be interested to hear about your families goulash. Is it posted on your website? I love reading new recipes as each one does it slightly different but all so very delicious. Your children would love the dumplings. A great soup for the start of the new school year.