Székely Goulash (Székely Gulyás)
Székely gulyás Say it: SAY-kay GOO-yahsh
Székely gulyás — also called székelykáposzta — is a thick, warming Hungarian stew of pork and sauerkraut, scented with sweet paprika and finished with sour cream. Despite the name it is not a soup: chunks of pork shoulder simmer with onions and cabbage until everything is soft and tangy, then the cream smooths it into a rosy, silky sauce. It is everyday home food all over Hungary, especially in the south around Szeged, served with bread for mopping.
Székely Goulash (Székely Gulyás)
Székely gulyás
Pronounced SAY-kay GOO-yahsh
- Serves
- 6
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 1 hr 25 min
- Total
- 1 hr 45 min
- Level
- Medium
Also nut-free and egg-free.
Allergens: contains gluten, milk. Check labels on packaged ingredients.
Ingredients
Amounts are scaled. Cooking times and pan sizes stay the same.
For the stew
To finish
Method
Pat the pork dry and season with the salt and pepper. Melt the lard in a heavy pot over medium-high heat and brown the pork in two batches, 5-6 minutes each, until deeply golden on all sides. Move the meat to a plate.
Lower the heat to medium and cook the onions in the rendered fat for 8-10 minutes, stirring, until soft and golden at the edges. Add the garlic and caraway and cook 1 minute more, until fragrant.
Take the pot off the heat and stir in the sweet and hot paprika until it sizzles and coats the onions, about 30 seconds — keeping it off the heat stops it from turning bitter.
Return the pork and its juices to the pot, add the water and bay leaf, and bring to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook 50-60 minutes, until the pork is tender and yields easily to a fork.
Stir in the drained sauerkraut, green pepper and tomato. Simmer uncovered for 25-30 minutes, until the cabbage is soft and the liquid has reduced to a loose stew.
Whisk the flour into 1 cup (240 ml) of the sour cream until smooth, then stir in a ladleful of the hot cooking liquid. Stir this back into the pot and simmer gently for 3-5 minutes, until the sauce turns glossy and slightly thickened — do not let it boil.
Taste and brighten with the reserved sauerkraut juice, a little at a time, plus salt and pepper as needed. Serve hot with a spoonful of the remaining sour cream on each plate.
Regional variants
Some cooks add a diced potato or two with the sauerkraut for a heartier version, and beef can replace the pork for a leaner stew. In Transylvania the dish is often simply called székelykáposzta.
Cook's notes
- Use a good Hungarian sweet paprika and add it off the heat; burnt paprika makes the whole pot bitter.
- If the sauerkraut is very salty, rinse it briefly before adding, then taste before seasoning.
- Keep the stew thick — it should mound on a spoon, not run like a soup.
Serve with
Crusty white bread, pickled hot peppers and a glass of dry white wine or a small shot of pálinka.
Make ahead and storage
Keeps 3 days in the fridge and improves overnight; reheat gently with a splash of water and stir in a little fresh sour cream.
