Sambar served with carrots, spicy and mouth-watering Indian dish Carrot sambar Yoghurt kebab served in pita with yoghurt sauce and fresh parsley Yoghurt kebab Spicy Pho served in a bowl, spicy rice noodle soup with fresh coriander and lime slices Spicy pho Smoked BBQ wild boar leg served Smoked BBQ Wild Boar Leg Chocolate and orange cake served Chocolate & orange cake 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 Sambar served with carrots, spicy and mouth-watering Indian dish Carrot sambar Yoghurt kebab served in pita with yoghurt sauce and fresh parsley Yoghurt kebab Spicy Pho served in a bowl, spicy rice noodle soup with fresh coriander and lime slices Spicy pho Smoked BBQ wild boar leg served Smoked BBQ Wild Boar Leg Chocolate and orange cake served Chocolate & orange cake 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
Ostrich stew served with fresh bread.
Rich flavoured stew with ostrich meat

Ostrich stew (Hungarian pörkölt)

Author: Flavelo
Recipes Main Courses
Ostrich meat is a true gastronomic paradox: red meat with a myoglobin content rivalling beef, yet with a fat content reminiscent of the leanest poultry. Since it has almost no internal (intramuscular) fat, replacing fat and precise heat treatment are crucial when making stew. The technology of classic Hungarian stew here serves to preserve juiciness: the colloidal system of the onion and the paprika emulsion coat the fibres.
🕒 Prep Time 30 mins
🍳 Cook Time 1 hr 30 mins
⌛ Total Time 2 hrs
🍽️ Servings 4 servings
🔥 Calories 520 kcal
🌍 Cuisine Hungarian

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

  • Thick-walled cast iron pot (for heat retention)
  • Sharp filleting knife
  • Wooden spoon

Instructions

1 ✓

Thoroughly remove the membrane and silver skin (fascia) from the meat, then cut into 2-3 cm cubes.

Tip: In the case of ostrich, the sinews remain very tough and do not cook down like the collagen in beef shin.
2 ✓

Finely chop the onion. Melt the fat in the pot, and sauté the onion over a low heat until translucent and starting to turn mushy.

Tip: Breaking down the onion cell walls provides the thickness of the sauce. Do not brown it, just sweat it until yellow.
3 ✓

Pull the pot off the heat, wait until the fat stops sizzling, then stir in the paprika.

Tip: The sugar in paprika caramelises above 130°C and turns bitter. The colour pigments (carotenoids) dissolve in the fat.
4 ✓

Add a little water (approx. 50ml), put back on the heat, and boil away the water (fry down to the fat). Repeat this once more.

Tip: This technique is the secret of the stew base: it forms an emulsion from the fat and onion, giving a creamy base.
5 ✓

Add the meat, season with salt, pepper and caraway. Toss over high heat until the meat turns white.

Tip: Searing the meat (Maillard reaction) creates flavours. It is important it doesn't immediately start boiling in its own juices, but gets heat first.
6 ✓

Add the chopped pepper and the peeled, diced tomato. Pour over enough stock to just cover it.

Tip: The acidity of the tomato helps loosen the meat fibres.
7 ✓

Simmer under a lid over very low heat (just barely bubbling) until tender, approx. 80-90 minutes. If the liquid evaporates, replenish little by little.

Tip: Slow simmering ensures the meat doesn't dry out. The sauce should be thick and gravy-like by the end.

Recipe FAQ

Why did the meat become tough?
Due to its low fat content, ostrich fibres dry out quickly at high heat. If you boiled it too vigorously, the proteins seized up and squeezed out the water.
Can I substitute ostrich fat?
Yes, good quality lard or duck fat is also perfect; these provide the best medium for the paprika flavours.

Ingredients

  • 600 g Ostrich meat (drumstick or leg)
  • 3 whole Red onions
  • 3 cloves Garlic
  • 2 tbsp Paprika powder (sweet, good quality)
  • 2 whole Tomatoes
  • 1 whole Green pepper (Hungarian wax pepper or bell pepper)
  • 80 g Lard or ostrich fat
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1 tsp Ground caraway
  • 1 pinch Black pepper
  • 300 ml Stock or water