Gulyasleves

Gulyasleves is Hungary’s national soup, and it’s nothing like the thick stew most Americans think of when they hear “goulash." This is a brothy, paprika-red soup with tender cubes of beef, chunks of potato, and tiny pinched egg noodle dumplings called csipetke floating throughout.

The base starts with onions and sweet red bell pepper browned in lard. Paprika goes in next, but only for a moment. It burns fast and turns bitter if left on high heat too long. The diced beef follows immediately, searing in the paprika-coated fat for five minutes until everything sizzles and smells deeply savory.

Caraway seeds are the quiet backbone of this soup. They add a warm, slightly anise flavor that’s unmistakably Central European and distinguishes gulyasleves from generic beef-and-potato soups.

The csipetke are worth the effort. A stiff dough of egg, flour, salt, and oil gets pinched into pea-sized pieces and dropped straight into the simmering soup. They cook in five minutes and add a chewy, dumpling-like bite that turns this from soup into a full meal.

Pro Tips

• Use Hungarian sweet paprika, not smoked Spanish paprika. The flavor profile is completely different and the wrong paprika changes the entire character of the soup.
• The csipetke dough should be very stiff. If it’s too soft, the pieces will dissolve instead of holding their shape in the broth.
• Add the potatoes after the beef has simmered for an hour. Adding them too early turns them to mush.
• Fresh parsley sprinkled on at the very end adds brightness that lifts the whole bowl.

Variations

• Skip the csipetke and serve the soup with crusty bread for dipping instead.
• Add a dollop of sour cream on each bowl for a richer, tangier finish.
• Use hot paprika in place of sweet if you want more heat.