Omurice bowl served with miso soup, omelette and miso soup Omurice bowl with traditional miso soup Freshly baked peach strudel Peach Strudel Momo with curry sauce steamed and served Momos with curry sauce Apple pie ravioli served Apple Pie Ravioli Kibbeh Nayyeh raw meat appetiser Middle Eastern style served Kibbeh nayyeh Chestnut tangsuyuk, crispy chicken with roasted chestnuts and sesame seeds Chestnut tangsuyuk Falukorv stuffed with mustard and onion, served with fresh coriander Baked Falukorv with mustard and onion Risi e Bisi served Risi e bisi Pav Bhaji with classic vegetables, served with fresh coriander and toasted rolls Mumbai street style pav bhaji Boiled sweet potato with chilli, spicy vegetable dish with coriander Boiled Sweet Potato with Chilli and Coriander Kebab in pita served Kebab in pita Freshly baked ciabatta rolls Homemade Italian ciabatta rolls Sacher waffles served Sacher waffles Golden baked cornmeal squares with visible chunks of white feta cheese Cheesy Cornbread (Proja) with Feta Misozuke, with fresh vegetables, in a miso paste marinade Misozuke Mamledar Misal Pav, spicy bean curry and crispy pav Mamledar Misal Pav Cinnamon & Apple Oat Muffins served Cinnamon & apple oat muffins Spicy Ginger & Tequila BBQ Sauce served Spicy Ginger & Tequila BBQ Sauce Beef & Black Pepper burger served Beef & Black Pepper Burger Brie croissants served Brie, honey & walnut croissants Omurice bowl served with miso soup, omelette and miso soup Omurice bowl with traditional miso soup Freshly baked peach strudel Peach Strudel Momo with curry sauce steamed and served Momos with curry sauce Apple pie ravioli served Apple Pie Ravioli Kibbeh Nayyeh raw meat appetiser Middle Eastern style served Kibbeh nayyeh Chestnut tangsuyuk, crispy chicken with roasted chestnuts and sesame seeds Chestnut tangsuyuk Falukorv stuffed with mustard and onion, served with fresh coriander Baked Falukorv with mustard and onion Risi e Bisi served Risi e bisi Pav Bhaji with classic vegetables, served with fresh coriander and toasted rolls Mumbai street style pav bhaji Boiled sweet potato with chilli, spicy vegetable dish with coriander Boiled Sweet Potato with Chilli and Coriander Kebab in pita served Kebab in pita Freshly baked ciabatta rolls Homemade Italian ciabatta rolls Sacher waffles served Sacher waffles Golden baked cornmeal squares with visible chunks of white feta cheese Cheesy Cornbread (Proja) with Feta Misozuke, with fresh vegetables, in a miso paste marinade Misozuke Mamledar Misal Pav, spicy bean curry and crispy pav Mamledar Misal Pav Cinnamon & Apple Oat Muffins served Cinnamon & apple oat muffins Spicy Ginger & Tequila BBQ Sauce served Spicy Ginger & Tequila BBQ Sauce Beef & Black Pepper burger served Beef & Black Pepper Burger Brie croissants served Brie, honey & walnut croissants
Juicy pörkölt served with fresh nokedli dumplings
Juicy pörkölt with soft dumplings, the perfect traditional Hungarian lunch.

Beef pörkölt with nokedli dumplings

Author: Flavelo
Recipes Main Courses

A good pörkölt is not 'boiled meat in red juice', but a thick, concentrated flavour stew. Its secret lies in the slow caramelisation of plenty of onions and dissolving the collagen content of the meat. During long, slow cooking, the meat's connective tissues turn into gelatine, giving the sauce its characteristic, lip-sticking, full texture.

🕒 Prep Time 30 mins
🍳 Cook Time 2 hrs
⌛ Total Time 2 hrs 30 mins
🍽️ Servings 5 servings
🔥 Calories 750 kcal
🌍 Cuisine Hungarian

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

  • Heavy-bottomed saucepan or cauldron
  • Dumpling maker (Nokedli cutter)
  • Large pot for boiling water
  • Wooden spoon

Allergen Information

⚠️ Cereals containing gluten
⚠️ Eggs

Instructions

1 ✓

Sauté the finely chopped onion in the fat very slowly until golden yellow and soft. This is the base of the thick sauce.

Tip: Don't rush it! The onion fibres need to break down. If you add water, it steams; if just fat, it fries. A combination of the two is best.
2 ✓

Pull the pan off the heat and stir in the paprika powder. Immediately add the meat and a little water, then put back on the heat.

Tip: Paprika dissolves in fat to release its colour, but becomes bitter from direct heat.
3 ✓

Toss the meat until it whitens (sears), then add the chopped tomato, pepper, garlic, and caraway. Salt it.

Tip: The meat will release juice first. Cook this away (fry back to its fat), then replenish with water. Repeating this process several times gives truly deep flavour.
4 ✓

Cook the meat under a lid on low heat until tender (approx. 1.5-2 hours). Only ever add enough water to just cover it.

Tip: Beef is ready when a fork slides into it without resistance. Collagen turning to gelatine is time-consuming.
5 ✓

While the meat cooks, prepare the dumplings: mix the flour, eggs, salt, and enough water to get a soft but not runny dough.

Tip: Don't overwork the dough; it doesn't matter if it's a bit lumpy. If overmixed, the gluten structure becomes too strong, and the dumplings will be rubbery and hard.
6 ✓

Cut the dough into boiling salted water. When they rise to the surface, drain and rinse with cold water (or toss in a little fat).

Tip: Rinsing stops the cooking so they don't stick together.

Recipe FAQ

Why did the pörkölt become bitter?
The paprika probably burnt. Paprika must not be fried in hot fat for long, as its sugar content burns immediately.
Why is the meat tough even after two hours?
Either the animal was too old, or you cooked it too fast on high heat, and the fibres seized up instead of softening. Give it more time and liquid.

Ingredients

  • 800 g Beef shin or neck (diced)
  • 3 heads Onions (finely chopped)
  • 2 tbsp Lard or oil
  • 2 tbsp Paprika powder (sweet)
  • 1 pc Tomato
  • 1 pc White pepper (or Bell pepper)
  • 2 cloves Garlic
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1 tsp Ground caraway
  • 500 ml Water (or stock)
  • 400 g Flour (for dumplings)
  • 2 pcs Eggs (for dumplings)
  • 250 ml Water (for dumplings)