Authentic Polish Beef Goulash Recipe - Polish Foodies (2024)

This traditional Polish beef goulash recipe or gulasz wolowy gives you succulent and tender chunks of beef slow-cooked in a sweet onion and mustard gravy. Serve with bread, kopytka, or boiled potatoes.

What Is Goulash? Where Did Goulash Originate?

Goulash is a traditional Polish meat stew or meat soup that originated in Hungary. Its name comes from the Hungarian word gulyás which means herdsman, and so the dish was called gulyásleves or meat prepared by herdsman that came to be called ‘goulash soup’.

The original recipe was cooked by Hungarian shepherds as portable meals. Meat was dried in the sun and packed in sacks of sheep stomach. These sacks could easily be boiled with water to become a meal.

Now made in most Central European countries, goulash can be made with pork, veal, lamb, or beef meat. Some modern versions include potatoes, red peppers, and other veggies, or even noodles. Sometime after the 16th-century paprika was brought to Europe and was also included in the dish.

The Polish version called gulasz is typically made with pork meat, but beef, chicken, or turkey can also be used sometimes. It’s also much thicker than the original Hungarian version.

Authentic Polish Beef Goulash Recipe - Polish Foodies (1)

How To Make Authentic Polish Beef GoulashAt Home?

To make gulasz wolowy, first cut washed beef into half-inch pieces and coat with salt and pepper. Refrigerate in a covered pot and allow it to rest for a few hours or overnight.

The next day, chop an onion finely and caramelize it with butter or ghee. Coat the beef cubes with flour and add to the fried onions. Keep turning it over till it changes color to golden-brown.

Once the beef has cooked, add the garlic, mustard, and a cup of water or broth. Cover with a lid and allow to slow cook for an hour, stirring occasionally. You can cook it for longer if you want the beef more tender.

Serve with kopytka, kluskie slaskie, or bread.

Authentic Polish Beef Goulash Recipe - Polish Foodies (2)
Authentic Polish Beef Goulash Recipe - Polish Foodies (3)
Authentic Polish Beef Goulash Recipe - Polish Foodies (4)

Tips For Making The Best Polish Beef Goulash

  • Half-inch by half-inch beef pieces are ideal, but you can make them bigger or smaller if you want to.
  • Add more water or broth if you want more gravy.
  • For a tastier goulash, add beef broth instead of water.
  • If you want a thicker gravy, add some sour cream or potato starch to the broth five minutes before taking it off the stove.
  • Top with sour cream, parsley, or other herbs before serving.
  • Goes really well with placki ziemniaczane.

FAQs About Making Polish Beef Goulash

What Other Meats Can I Use To Make Goulash?

You can make goulash with pork, chicken, or turkey. The Polish pork goulash is often served with potato pancakes and called Placek po wiegersku.

What Other Types Of Polish Goulash Are There?

Some other types of Polish goulash include:

  • pork goulash
  • goulash with wild mushrooms
  • goulash with bell pepper
  • pork goulash with pancakes

What To Serve Beef Goulash With?

Serve the Polish beef goulash with any of the following:

  • rice
  • kopytka
  • kluskie slaskie
  • boiled or mashed potatoes
  • groats
  • bread
  • egg noodles
  • potato pancakes
  • dill pickles
  • beetroot salad
  • red cabbage salad
  • carrot salad
  • Chinese cabbage salad

Is It Possible To Make The Beef Goulash Gluten-Free?

Yes, to make the beef goulash recipe gluten-free simply replace the all-purpose flour with potato flour or rice flour.

Is It Possible To Make Polish Goulash Vegetarian?

Yes, to make the goulash vegetarian, replace the beef with button mushrooms or portabella mushrooms.

How Long Can I Store Leftover Polish Beef Goulash?

Store leftover Polish beef goulash in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days, or in the freezer for 3 to 4 months. Reheat well before serving!

Authentic Polish Beef Goulash Recipe

Authentic Polish Beef Goulash Recipe - Polish Foodies (5)

This traditional Polish beef goulash recipe consists of tender chunks of beef slow-cooked and served with bread, kopytka, or boiled potatoes.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Resting Time 2 hours

Total Time 3 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1½ lb of beef
  • 1 tsp of salt
  • ¼ tsp of black pepper
  • 2 tbsps of all-purpose flour
  • 1 onion
  • 1 tbsps of butter or ghee
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 tsp of mustard

Instructions

  1. Wash and dice the beef (½’’/ ½’’ each piece).
  2. Coat the meat with salt and pepper and let it rest in the fridge for at least 2 hours, ideally overnight.
  3. After resting, coat the meat with flour.
  4. Finely chop the onion and carmelize it with butter or ghee.
  5. Add meat and fry until it changes the color to golden-brownish.
  6. Add water or broth, crushed garlic clove, and mustard. Cover the pan/pot with a lid and cook slowly until the meat is soft (for 1-2 hours). Stir as often as possible, making sure the stew won't stick to the bottom of the pot.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 347Total Fat: 23gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 109mgSodium: 469mgCarbohydrates: 4gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 30g

These data are indicative and calculated by Nutritionix

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Did you like this Polish beef goulash recipe? Let us know in the comments below!

6 Responses

  1. I think you need to decide whether you’re making an authentic polish goulash or you’re making something else with a different name. If you want to make authentic polish goulash then you need to make it with pork and mushrooms because that’s how authentic polish goulash is made. If you’re making it with something else then generally it has a different name and you should ask someone who is Polish and understands polish cuisine what the name of that dish is. It’s the same as when someone talks about making Hungarian goulash with chicken which actually is a different dish with a specific name, chicken paprikash. Think of it this way.. when you make beef stew from chicken you don’t call it beef stew anymore, you call it chicken stew. And no polish or Hungarian herder would be making a stew based on pork or chicken because they don’t herd pigs and chickens. They heard cows goats and sheep and would be making their dishes from those animals.

    Reply

    1. I do have another recipe on the blog for goulash with mushrooms 🙂
      https://polishfoodies.com/goulash-with-mushrooms-recipe/

      Reply

  2. How much broth or water in goulash recipe. It’s not on ingredient list

    Reply

    1. 1-2 cups depending on how thick you want your goulash to be.

      Reply

  3. Love it ❤
    P.S. just a small spelling correction to make your post even better – “It’s name…” should read “Its name…”, no apostrophe.

    Reply

    1. You’re right! Thanks for pointing this out, Kali 🙂

      Reply

Authentic Polish Beef Goulash Recipe - Polish Foodies (2024)

FAQs

What is Polish goulash made of? ›

Here is your shopping list if you want to try this Polish goulash: beef stew meat, flour, onion, butter, garlic, mustard and broth or water. This rich beef stew-like dish is traditionally served with potatoes, potato pancakes, Polish dumplings or bread. I served mine with dilled new potatoes and a salad.

What's the difference between goulash and Hungarian goulash? ›

There are two kinds of goulash: Hungarian goulash, which calls for the slow-simmered beef to be served alongside egg noodles, and American goulash, which pulls in ground beef and cooks the noodles in the pot alongside the sauce.

Is goulash popular in Poland? ›

In Poland, goulash (Polish: gulasz) is eaten in most parts of the country. A variant dish exists that is similar to Hungarian pörkölt. It came to being around the 9th century. It is usually served with mashed potatoes or various forms of noodles and dumplings, such as pyzy.

How do you tenderize beef goulash? ›

Sprinkle over 1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda and rub it into the meat with your hands. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Rinse the beef in cold water to remove the bicarb. Pat dry with paper towels and use as per your recipe.

What is original goulash made of? ›

It is made with simple ingredients like meat, peppers and root vegetables elevated to perfection by the use of Hungary's most famous spice: paprika. Goulash can be made with beef or pork but the traditional way of making it is with beef.

What side dish goes with goulash? ›

From Hungarian potato pancakes to homemade bread, and spätzle dumplings to creamy mashed potatoes, discover what to serve with goulash today.

What is goulash called in America? ›

American goulash, sometimes called slumgullion, is an American comfort food dish, similar to American chop suey. American goulash is usually referred to in the midwestern and southern United States as simply "goulash".

Is beef stroganoff the same as goulash? ›

What's the difference between stroganoff and goulash? Traditional goulash is a type of soup or stew that uses a cheaper cut of meat suitable for slow cooking as well as peppers. Meanwhile, stroganoff is a creamy dish that uses higher-quality meat and mushrooms.

Why is my goulash meat tough? ›

Usually the cause is either overcooking or undercooking. It might also be because the 'stew meat' you buy prepackaged comes from various parts and they often need to be cooked at different times and temps.

What is the most eaten meat in Poland? ›

Pork accounts for the largest share of meat consumption in Poland and is also the most commonly used for meat products. Thanks to its universality, pork is used in a variety of dishes, and the culinary tradition of Poles further favours its consumption.

What is the most liked food in Poland? ›

Pierogi. Pierogi are filled dumplings containing either meat, vegetables, cheese, fruit or chocolate. Pierogi is undoubtedly Poland's most famous and simple comfort food. But after tasting one of these delicious filled dumplings, you're likely to find yourself craving more.

What is the main meat in Poland? ›

Polish cuisine is rich in meat, especially pork, chicken and game, in addition to a wide range of vegetables, spices, fungi and mushrooms, and herbs. It is also characterised by its use of various kinds of pasta, cereals, kasha and pulses.

What is the secret ingredient to tenderize meat? ›

Many Chinese-American dishes use a technique called velveting that's very similar to tenderizing meat with baking soda. Thin slices of steak or chicken are tossed with a slurry of cornstarch or baking soda and water, then refrigerated for at least thirty minutes or up to 12 hours.

How do Chinese make beef so tender? ›

While there are several ways to velvet, a pound of meat needs about two teaspoons of cornstarch and two teaspoons of oil, says Leung. You may also include two to three tablespoons of water. For beef, add a 1/4-teaspoon of baking soda for tenderizing. Additional seasonings are optional and vary from recipe to recipe.

What is Polish meat made of? ›

For many centuries, kielbasa consisted of pork, pepper, salt, marjoram, and garlic. In 1964, the government of Poland decided to introduce a new variety which contained 80% pork and 20% beef. The other ingredients remained the same. The meat used in polish sausage is cured before it is mixed with the spices.

What is American goulash made of? ›

It features ground beef, pasta (usually macaroni) and tomatoes. Unlike Hungarian goulash, American goulash cooks quickly, making it a great family-friendly option for busy weeknights. Both types of goulash feature the addition of paprika for spice and warmth. What can I serve with American Goulash?

What does goulash taste like? ›

Hungarian goulash is very similar to beef stew, but there are some differences. While a typical stew consists of slow braising chunks of meat with root vegetables in a seasoned broth, goulash uses spices such as caraway, cumin, paprika, and peppers which really enhance and alter the flavor from a classic beef stew.

What ethnic food is goulash? ›

goulash, traditional stew of Hungary.

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