Szegedin Goulash with Sauerkraut (Székely Gulyás)

If you like hearty and juicy stews during the cold winter months then Szegedin goulash is for you. This is the famous Hungarian pork and sauerkraut goulash. The original Hungarian name is Székely Gulyás and is one of the classic goulash recipes.

By popular demand, this reader-favorite recipe made it into my debut cookbook, German Kitchen-Classic Dishes!

This dish is especially popular in Germany and Austria, where it is served with a dollop of sour cream. Handed down through generations, the "Szegediner Gulasch" (as it is known in German) has established itself in German food culture. This stew is a unique taste experience; delicious rich paprika paired with the slightly bitter taste of sauerkraut.

What is Szegedin Goulash

Szegedin Goulash is a hearty goulash recipe with Hungarian roots. It consists of pork cuts (ideally from the pork shoulder) and sauerkraut.

This dish was adapted by German settlers in Romania, Hungary, Slovenia, Moldova and Ukraine and brought to Germany.

Szegedin Goulash Origin

There are many fascinating legends surrounding the famous Székely Gulyás, which makes this stew so intriguing.

One of the legends says that the stew was invented in a restaurant in Budapest called "Zur Spieluhr". The town's librarian, named Székely, arrived late one evening at the restaurant and wanted to order some food. As the waiter refused, because the chef had already left. Székely was beside himself. "It must be possible to warm up some goulash and Sauerkraut" he cried. "You do not need a cook for that". So he was served some stew, sauerkraut and a spoon of sour cream by the intimidated waiter.

Szándor Petöfy, the famous Hungarian writer, witnessed the altercation. When he ordered the same dish the next day, the Székely Goulash was born, and its fame spread. Soon the dish had reached Austria, where it became known as "Szegediner Gulasch" (Szegedine goulash) in German.

Other legends claim that the Hungarian writer and poet József Székely was the true inventor of the soup. Another candidate is the Hungarian painter Bertalan Szekley. (Source: Gulasch Austrian Ministry for Agriculture, Regions and Tourism)

This stew does not originate from Szegedin

It is easy to mistake the dish with the Székler Gulyás from the Hungarian town of Szegedin. Beware, because if you order a Székler Gulyás in Szegedin, you will get served a completely different dish without sauerkraut. It resembles more a goulash soup than this hearty stew.

Szegedine Goulash Recipe

I used a mixture of beef and pork meat for my recipe. Authentic Székely Gulyás uses pork meat, ideally a cut from the shoulder.

Ingredients

• 1 kg pork cubes (ideally from the shoulder or use 500 g pork cubes and 500 beef cubes)
• 4 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 30 g flour
• 500 g onions
• 500 g sauerkraut (from a jar)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon white pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground caraway seeds
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried marjoram (affiliate link)
• 5 tablespoon sweet paprika
• 2 garlic cloves
• 3 tablespoon tomato puree
• 500 ml beef or vegetable broth

To serve

• 100 g sour cream
• 1 small bunch of parsley

Recipe Steps

1. Season the meat with salt and pepper. Peel and roughly slice the onion. Crush the garlic. Drain the sauerkraut with a sieve.
2. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and fry the meat until browned.
3. Now coat the meat with the flour and continue to brown, while stirring continuously.
4. Add the onions, and continue to fry until these turn translucent. Reduce the heat and add in the paprika powder. (make sure the powder does not burn as the taste will turn bitter). Add the salt, pepper, caraway seeds, thyme, marjoram (affiliate link), tomato puree, garlic and shortly fry with the meat and onions.
5. Pour in the vegetable stock (affiliate link), cover the pot with a lid and cook or around 30 minutes on a low heat.
6. Now add in the drained sauerkraut and mix with the meat. Cover the pot again and cook for a further 30 minutes.
7. Serve with a dollop of sour cream. (it is better to only add the sour cream when serving, as otherwise you cannot reheat the goulash at a later stage)

Recipe Variations

• traditional Szegediner Gulasch is made with pork meat, but you can subsite it with beef or a mixture of the two.
• if you like a bit of spice to your stew, you can replace two teaspoons of the mild paprika powder with a spicy one.
• instead of thickening the stew with flour, you can also grate in a potato at the end to achieve the desired consistency
• replace the sour cream with crème fraiche

What to serve with this goulash?

This pork and sauerkraut stew goes best with hearty side dishes. Here are some traditional suggestions

• Spätzle
• Pasta
• Boiled potatoes
• Bread Dumplings
• Potato Dumplings

Storage Instructions

This Hungarian pork goulash will keep in your fridge for up to 4 days. It is best to only add the sour cream to the stew before serving, as this will enable you to reheat the dish again.

This dish freezes well and will last in your freezer for up to three months.

More German Goulash Recipes:

More Delicious German Main Courses

• Königsberger Klopse
• Käsespätzle- German cheese spätzle
• Frikadellen - German Meatballs
• Szegedin Goulash - Goulash with Sauerkraut
• Wiener Schnitzel
• Turkey Schnitzel
• Chanterelle Pasta

Recipe