Eastern European · Lunch · Dinner
Hungarian Beef Pörkölt
Marhapörkölt
Tender chunks of lean beef slowly braised in a glossy, onion-rich sauce coloured deep red with sweet Hungarian paprika. Lightened with less fat and extra peppers, it keeps all the comforting depth of the classic.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 110 min
- Total
- 130 min
- Serves
- 4
Calories come from: Carbs 21% · Fat 31% · Protein 48%
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Ingredients
For 4 servings- 700 glean beef chuck, trimmed of visible fat and cut into 3 cm cubes
- 1 tbsp14 gsunflower oil
- 3 medium450 gyellow onions, finely chopped
- 3 cloves9 ggarlic, minced
- 2 tbsp14 gsweet Hungarian paprika
- 1/2 tspcaraway seeds, lightly crushed
- 1 tbsp16 gtomato paste
- 2 cups500 gwater
- 2 medium240 ggreen or Hungarian wax peppers, sliced
- 1 medium150 gripe tomato, chopped
- 1 tsp6 gsalt
- 1/4 tspblack pepper, ground
- 2 tbsp5 gfresh parsley, chopped (optional)
Steps
- 1
Pat the beef cubes dry with paper towel.
- 2
Heat the oil in a heavy pot over medium heat.
- 3
Add the onions with a pinch of the salt and cook, stirring, for 12–15 minutes until soft and golden.
- 4
Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- 5
Take the pot off the heat and stir in the paprika and caraway so the paprika does not scorch.
- 6
Return the pot to medium-high heat, add the beef and stir for 5 minutes until the meat loses its raw colour on all sides.
- 7
Stir in the tomato paste and 250 ml (1 cup) of the water, then bring to a gentle simmer.
- 8
Cover and simmer on low for 60 minutes, stirring now and then and adding splashes of the remaining water if it gets dry.
- 9
Add the peppers, tomato, remaining salt and the black pepper, plus any remaining water needed to keep a thick sauce.
- 10
Cover and simmer for another 25–30 minutes until the beef is fork-tender and the sauce is thick and glossy.
- 11
Taste and adjust seasoning, then sprinkle with parsley if using and serve hot.
Swaps, storage and make-ahead
Swaps
- Use beef shin or a well-trimmed boneless beef brisket instead of chuck if that is easier to find; simmer until fork-tender.
- Swap the beef for bone-in chicken thighs (skin removed) and cut the first simmer to about 30 minutes for a lighter, quicker chicken paprikash-style stew.
- Replace the green or wax peppers with red bell peppers for a sweeter, milder sauce.
- If you can't find sweet Hungarian paprika, use regular sweet paprika, adding a pinch of smoked paprika for extra depth.
Storage
Refrigerate leftovers in a covered container within 2 hours and eat within 3 to 4 days, reheating until steaming hot. The stew also freezes well for up to 3 months; thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
Make ahead
Pörkölt tastes even better the next day, so you can cook it fully a day ahead, cool it quickly, refrigerate, and reheat gently until steaming hot. You can also chop the onions, garlic and peppers and cube the beef up to a day in advance, keeping them covered in the fridge.
Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.
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Allergens and nutrition
No major allergens in the ingredients.
Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.
Full nutrition
| Per serving (525 g) | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 336 kcal | 64 kcal |
| Protein | 41.1 g | 7.8 g |
| Carbohydrates | 18.6 g | 3.5 g |
| of which sugars | 8.1 g | 1.5 g |
| Fiber | 4.9 g | 0.9 g |
| Fat | 12.2 g | 2.3 g |
| of which saturated | 3.8 g | 0.7 g |
| Sodium | 740 mg | 141 mg |
Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.
