Let’s start with Pörkölt. It is a very simple dish if you have the right ingredients. For three to four people, you will need:

1 kg beef shoulder
1 kg yellow onions, not too small (not the mild white onions)
150 g rendered pork lard
2 tablespoons mild paprika powder
1 tablespoon hot paprika powder (or 2, if you dare)
500 ml hot water
Salt
Pepper

Pörkölt never contains garlic, chilli, bay leaves or other spices, no tomatoes and certainly no tomato purée! My grandmother used hot water as the liquid, which is perfectly adequate. If you like it very hearty, you can of course also use vegetable or beef stock. Wine or other alcohol does not belong in it.

 

  • Cut the meat into cubes that are not too small and season with pepper.
  • Finely chop the onions.
  • Heat the lard in a pot and first sauté only the onions until translucent, stirring constantly.
  • Now add the meat and fry, stirring constantly, until there are no more bloody spots.
  • Sprinkle generously with paprika powder and stir everything quickly and thoroughly. Then immediately deglaze with a little hot water. Paprika powder burns quickly, turning brown instead of red and becoming bitter. Stir again.
  • Only now should you add salt.
  • Cover the pot with the lid, but leave a small gap open. Reduce the heat.
  • Now simmer the whole thing for 2 to 3 hours on low heat. Check the liquid regularly. It should be more of a sauce than a soup. You will have to add hot water several times, but only a little. In principle, the onions, water and meat juices form the sauce over hours of simmering – that’s the whole secret. After an hour, check whether there is enough salt.

If you want to use pork for your Pörkölt, take meat from the shoulder or the top or bottom round. Reduce the cooking time to 90 minutes.

You can eat rice as a side dish, but boiled potatoes are better. Hungarian dumplings are best. They are very easy to make. Make a viscous dough from flour, water, and an egg. Bring salted water to the boil. Use a teaspoon to shape the dough into small dumplings and quickly slide them into the boiling water. They will be done in a few minutes. Drain in a sieve.

Pickled gherkins or other pickled vegetables are an absolute must. I’ll leave that up to you, because pickled vegetables are better in Japan than anywhere else in the world anyway…

Good luck!