Oh Ashley 😍 Hungarian Pörkölt is a classic, hearty stew — rich, flavorful, and perfect with nokedli (dumplings), potatoes, or bread!
🍲 Traditional Hungarian Pörkölt
Ingredients (4–6 servings)
- 2 lbs (900 g) beef, pork, or chicken (cut into cubes)
- 2 tbsp lard, oil, or butter
- 2 large onions, finely chopped
- 2–3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2–3 tbsp sweet Hungarian paprika
- 1 tsp smoked paprika (optional, for depth)
- 2–3 tomatoes, chopped (or 2 tbsp tomato paste)
- 1–2 green peppers, chopped
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1 cup water or broth
- Optional: 1 tsp caraway seeds
🥣 Instructions
- Brown the meat
- Heat lard or oil in a heavy pan.
- Add meat cubes and brown on all sides. Remove and set aside.
- Cook onions & garlic
- In the same pan, sauté onions until golden.
- Add garlic and cook 30 seconds.
- Add paprika & mix
- Remove pan from heat for a moment. Stir in sweet paprika (prevents burning).
- Combine ingredients
- Return meat to pan.
- Add chopped tomatoes, peppers, salt, pepper, caraway seeds (if using), and water/broth.
- Simmer
- Cover and simmer on low 1–1.5 hours until meat is tender and sauce is thick.
- Stir occasionally, add a little more water if needed.
- Serve
- Traditionally served with nokedli, potatoes, or bread. Garnish with fresh parsley if desired.
✨ Tips for Perfect Pörkölt
- Use sweet Hungarian paprika — it’s key to authentic flavor.
- Low and slow simmer → tender meat and rich sauce.
- Don’t rush the onions; they give depth to the stew.
If you want, I can also give you a quick weeknight version that’s ready in under 45 minutes but still tastes authentic 😋
Do you want me to do that?
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