Hello! Today we will prepare the national dish of the Hungarians, which belongs to the category of thick soups. Moreover, previously it was done exclusively over a fire in large cauldrons. And the main component is meat and vegetables. Well, guess what I mean?

That's right, this is delicious goulash. Recently I already told you how to cook this, but now I’ll share with you the beef version. I know that many people do not really prefer it because of the dryness and toughness of such meat. But if you know all the secrets, you can end up with very soft pieces with gravy.

In our family, it is customary to serve this food with a side dish, such as tolchonka or pasta. I also try to put more fresh vegetables and herbs on the table.

Honestly, I don’t have any special secrets in the technology of preparing this meat dish. But still there are some nuances. So read everything to the end, I will reveal my “secrets” to you.

So, according to the first option, everything is done very, very simply. The main point is to fry fresh meat in a hot frying pan. This way, you will preserve the juiciness of each piece and stew them faster in the future.


Ingredients:

  • Beef - 400 gr.;
  • Onion - 1 pc.;
  • Vegetable oil - 3 tbsp. spoons;
  • Flour - 1 tbsp. spoon;
  • Tomato paste - 2 tbsp. spoons;
  • Salt, pepper - to taste.

There is nothing superfluous in the composition. You can also add carrots if you wish.

Cooking method:

1. Rinse the meat well under running water and dry. Take a large onion and peel it.


2. Now cut the fillet into medium pieces and the onion into half rings.


3. Crack the pan. Pour in vegetable oil and add meat and onions.


4. Mix everything well.


5. Then salt and pepper the mixture.


6. Fry over medium heat until the flesh changes color.


7. Then turn up the heat a little and simmer until all the liquid has evaporated.


8. Turn on high heat and fry the meat until golden brown. But watch the onions so they don't burn.



10. Stir the mixture and heat well for 2 minutes.


11. Pour 1.5 cups of clean and cold water into a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring the contents occasionally.


12. Let everything boil for 10-12 minutes.


13. Taste the liquid, add salt if necessary. You can also add bay leaves and fresh chopped herbs. Cover everything with a lid and turn off the heat. Let the dish brew and then serve with any side dish or vegetable salad.


How to cook goulash with gravy like in a cafeteria

And now I’ll tell you a very terrible secret). In order to get the food according to USSR standards, you need to add vodka. And don’t be afraid, it won’t give any aftertaste, but it will soften the meat.

Ingredients:

  • Beef - 1 kg;
  • Onions - 1 pc.;
  • Vegetable oil - 50 ml;
  • Vodka - 50 ml;
  • Paprika - 1/2 teaspoon;
  • Tomato sauce - 200 gr.;
  • Garlic - 1 clove;
  • Bay leaf - 1 pc.;
  • Salt, pepper - to taste.

Cooking method:

1. Rinse beef or veal under running water, remove excess fat and veins. Cut into cubes.


2. Peel the onion and also wash it under cold water. Cut into medium slices.


3. Take a saucepan, or better yet a cauldron, and put it on the fire. Pour in vegetable oil and add meat cubes. Fry them over high heat. Stir constantly.


4. As soon as the pieces acquire a golden hue, salt and pepper them. Add the onion, reduce the heat and fry until the onion is golden brown.


5. Now pour vodka and stir. Let everything boil for about 5 minutes. Next, fill everything with water (150 ml), cover with a lid and simmer over low heat for 45-60 minutes.


6. About 15 minutes before the dish is ready, take a clean and dry frying pan and place it on a hot stove. Add flour, stir and fry until yellow. And then dilute the flour in a small amount of water so that there are no lumps.


This is done so that the gravy turns out thick and not liquid.

7. When the meat becomes soft, add tomato paste, pour in the diluted flour and add bay leaf and paprika. Mix everything well and cover with a lid. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for another 10 minutes.


8. Turn off the heat and let it brew for a while.


Delicious recipe for goulash with prunes

Ingredients:

  • Beef - 500 gr.;
  • Onion - 2 pcs.;
  • Carrots - 1 pc.;
  • Sour prunes - 150-200 g;
  • Tomato paste - 1 tbsp. spoon;
  • Salt, pepper - to taste;
  • Bay leaf - 2 leaves;
  • Soda - 0.5 teaspoon;
  • Dill, parsley - to taste;
  • Sunflower oil - for frying.

Cooking method:

1. The meat needs to be washed and dried, and the veins cut off. Then cut into cubes.


Secret! To make the beef soft, pour baking soda into a plate with chopped pieces and stir. Leave to stand for 40-50 minutes.

2. While our meat component is infused, peel the carrots and cut into cubes.


3. Cut the onion into half rings.


4. Rinse the prunes well. If it is very large, then cut it into pieces.


5. Heat a frying pan with vegetable oil and fry the onions and carrots for 5 minutes. Add tomato paste and fry for another 5 minutes.


6. By this time, our meat has already infused, and it needs to be thoroughly washed under running water to remove any remaining soda. Then fry the pieces separately in a hot frying pan until golden brown.



8. 10 minutes before readiness, add prunes, salt and pepper to taste. Mix everything well and simmer for another 20 minutes. Add bay leaf and finely chopped herbs.


Cooking beef goulash like in kindergarten

And for those who loved going to kindergarten and remember how delicious the food was there, I have prepared the following video story. No extra products, and the quality depends on the large volume.

You will need: beef, onion, tomato paste, flour, salt, pepper, sunflower oil, bay leaf.

Goulash with gravy in a slow cooker

But if I’m lazy, or urgently need to prepare a hearty dinner, then I call my favorite slow cooker to help. Not only will it do everything quickly, but you also don’t have to worry about the softness of the beef, since this device stews everything with a bang.


Ingredients:

  • Beef - 700 gr.;
  • Onion - 2 pcs.;
  • Tomato paste - 70 ml;
  • Garlic - 1 clove;
  • Vegetable oil;
  • Water - 200 ml;
  • Salt - to taste;
  • Seasonings - to taste.


Cooking method:

1. First of all, prepare the fillet: rinse and cut into medium pieces.


2. Peel the onion and cut it into cubes.


3. Either chop the garlic with a knife or pass through a garlic press.


4. Place meat and onions in the multicooker bowl.


5. Now add garlic, tomato paste, salt and seasonings. Pour in vegetable oil and water.


6. Stir everything well.



8. After the time has elapsed, open the valve and release steam. Open the lid and start eating).


Step-by-step recipe for gravy with mushrooms and sour cream

This option is a ready-made solution for a complete meal. Plus meat with mushrooms is always very tasty. You can take any mushrooms to suit your taste, but you can replace the sour cream with cream.

Ingredients:

  • Beef - 500 gr.;
  • Fresh porcini mushrooms - 300-400 gr.;
  • Dried boletus caps - 3-4 pcs.;
  • Onions - 1 pc.;
  • Fresh thyme - to taste;
  • Sour cream - 1-2 tbsp. heaped spoons;
  • Flour - 1 tbsp. spoon;
  • Fresh parsley - to taste;
  • Salt - to taste;
  • Pepper - to taste;
  • Olive oil - for frying;
  • Butter - for frying.

Cooking method:

1. First of all, prepare the meat. Rinse it under running water and dry it. Cut out the veins.


2. Cut the pulp into small cubes.


3. Place the pieces into a hot frying pan with vegetable oil and fry them until browned on all sides. At this point, add your favorite seasoning.


4. Place the fried pieces into a saucepan and fill them with hot water so that it slightly covers the contents. Set the heat to medium and simmer until the meat is tender.


5. Meanwhile, start cooking mushrooms. Caps of dried mushrooms need to be soaked in boiling water, change the water and cook them for 15 minutes after boiling.


6. Clean the porcini mushrooms from dirt.



8. Fry the onion in olive oil, then add porcini mushrooms and fresh thyme, and add salt. Fry for a few minutes, and then pour in one ladle of the broth from the dried mushrooms.


9. Add the dried mushroom caps and pour the remaining mushroom broth over everything. Simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes.


10. Add stewed mushrooms to soft meat, salt and pepper the mixture. Mix well and simmer for another 10 minutes.


11. Meanwhile, take a clean cup and dissolve the flour with a little cold water. Add sour cream to this and mix well. Pour this sauce into the boiling stock. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.


12. Turn off the heat and add chopped fresh herbs. Stir and pour into plates.


Bon appetit!

How to cook soft beef goulash in the oven

Ingredients:

  • Beef - 700 gr.;
  • Carrots - 1 pc.;
  • Onion - 2 pcs.;
  • Broth - 1 tbsp;
  • Spices - 1 tbsp. spoon;
  • Vegetable oil - for frying;
  • Salt - to taste.

Cooking method:

1. Cut the meat into pieces.


2. Cut the onion into half rings.


3. Peel the carrots and cut into thin cubes.


4. Salt the meat, add spices and stir.


5. Then fry it in a frying pan for 10 minutes.



7. Place the fried foods in pots. Pour the broth into the frying pan and bring it to a boil.


8. Fill the pots 3/4 full with hot broth. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees, place our preparations and simmer for an hour.


9. Sprinkle the finished dish with fresh herbs.


Friends, that's all for today. All the recipes turned out to be simple and delicious at the same time. The main thing is not to reduce the time for stewing and do not forget about pre-frying, then the meat will be 100% soft. And don’t be lazy to prepare side dishes and salads for this meat “soup”.

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Our article will tell you how to cook beef goulash with gravy. This dish cannot be called unusual, new or trendy, but this is where its unique charm lies.

Once upon a time, beef goulash was a much more common dish, thanks to which it could be enjoyed in preschool institutions and schools, student and factory canteens, buffets, restaurants and cafes. In Soviet times, this dish was prepared according to GOST standards, so the taste of goulash was almost the same everywhere. Modern culinary enthusiasts have much greater scope for creativity.

Let's look at some great goulash recipes, each of which has its own benefits.

Features of the dish

Goulash is considered a Hungarian dish. However, the traditional recipe has changed greatly. In the old days in Hungary, potatoes, bacon, bell peppers, and fresh tomatoes were added to this dish. And these days, Hungarians know a slightly different goulash, not quite the same as that common in the post-Soviet space. It is not served as a gravy with pieces of meat, but as a thick soup.

Surely all versions of beef goulash with gravy are good. The step-by-step recipes presented in our article will help you learn how to cook this dish.

Pay attention to the photo. Goulash is a harmonious combination of tender meat stewed until soft with a thick, aromatic sauce.

Considering the rather high cost of food in modern times, it can easily be classified as a festive cuisine. And its taste is quite consistent with this.

The labor intensity of the process is average, but it will take quite a lot of time. Therefore, modern housewives prefer to treat guests to goulash at a gala feast or serve this dish for a Sunday family dinner. But, of course, you can cook goulash on weekdays. This treat will definitely bring a lot of pleasant moments to them.

How to choose the best products?

Before preparing goulash with beef gravy, it is advisable to go to the market or a specialty store. It is worth giving preference to homemade meat, with a rich taste and well-defined texture.

For goulash, choose any part without bones or fatty layers. Beef or veal tenderloin is suitable. The meat should have a rich color and a pleasant fresh smell.

Before cooking, remove all fascia, veins, fat and cartilage with a sharp knife.

We also need vegetables. The list is different for different recipes. In any case, they should be fresh and not limp, and seasonal ones, just picked from the beds, are especially good.

Classic goulash recipe

Hungarians add celery, paprika and other seasonings to proper goulash with beef gravy. You can follow their example or choose your favorite spices. You should not choose too active ingredients for this dish. For example, suneli hops or a mixture of herbs are best left for other dishes. The flavor of meat should dominate in goulash.

If you have never made this dish before, use the following recipe. It's simple, but the results are excellent.

You will need the following products:

  • 500 g beef meat;
  • 1 carrot;
  • 1 medium sized onion;
  • 1 tbsp. l. tomato paste;
  • 1 tbsp. l. flour;
  • 1 tbsp. l. sour cream;
  • vegetable oil;
  • salt, bay leaf, peppercorns to taste.

Before preparing beef goulash with gravy, saute the flour in a dry frying pan and transfer to a bowl. Cut the meat into finger-sized pieces, grate the carrots on a medium grater, and chop the onion into cubes.

Fry the beef in a heated frying pan with oil. There is no need to try to bring the meat to readiness, you just need to wait for it to turn golden brown. Place in a saucepan and simmer the vegetables in the remaining fat.

Combine the fried ingredients, add flour and spices, add pasta and sour cream. If the gravy seems too thick, add a little broth or water.

Simmer on low heat. Cooking time - at least an hour. The beef should become soft. Don't forget to stir the goulash occasionally.

Cooking in a frying pan

This method helps you complete the task even faster. You already know the approximate proportions of the products indicated in the first recipe. But to prepare beef goulash with gravy in a frying pan, you don’t need either flour or sour cream. And tomato paste can be replaced with fresh tomatoes or juice made from them.

Heat a deep frying pan well and add both meat and vegetables at once. First, cook the goulash over high heat, stirring with a spatula. Bring the tomato paste to a semi-liquid consistency with water and add to the pan when the meat, onions and carrots are golden brown.

Immediately reduce the gas and simmer the dish for another 40 minutes under the lid. When serving, this goulash can be decorated with sprigs of parsley or basil.

Multicooker option

Happy owners of modern technology can easily prepare aromatic and soft beef goulash with gravy. You need to start by frying vegetables and meat.

Place chopped beef in a bowl coated with butter, add finely chopped carrots and onions. Set the “Fry” mode and cook with the lid open for 10 minutes. In a bowl, dilute 1 tsp with water. tomato paste, add 1 tbsp. l. sour cream and 1.5 tsp. flour. Pour the mixture into the bowl, stir. If you like the aroma of bay leaves, add this ingredient. Salt the dish. Turn on the “Extinguishing” mode, close the lid and set the timer for 1 hour. Then add spices and simmer the goulash for another 5 minutes.

Cooking in a pressure cooker

If you decide to make beef goulash with gravy in a pressure cooker, do not forget about safety! Do not open the lid immediately, it is dangerous. After turning off, you need to wait until the pressure cooker stops puffing and making noise; then you need to open the valve and release the remaining steam.

Even aged meat is perfect for this dish. The pressure cooker will make it soft and tender.

To make the meat aromatic, before frying it should be sprinkled with pepper and salt and left for a quarter of an hour. Fry half a kilo of chopped beef in a frying pan, transfer to a bowl. In the same frying pan, fry the onions and carrots. This recipe will require a lot of vegetables - as much as meat. Half a glass of minced tomatoes, fresh or in their own juice, dilute with the same amount of water, add a teaspoon of paprika. Pour into the vegetable mixture, simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Combine the ingredients in a pressure cooker, pour in half a glass of beef broth. Let it simmer with the lid off, then seal and simmer over medium heat for 40 minutes.

While the goulash is cooking, prepare the sauce. Mix half a glass of sour cream with a tablespoon of flour, grind thoroughly. Pour in half a glass of cold water and bring until smooth.

After 40 minutes from the start of cooking, turn off the heat, let the pressure cooker cool slightly, release the pressure, and carefully open the lid. Add sour cream sauce to the bowl, stir, cook with the lid open for 5 minutes, stirring. The goulash will begin to thicken. If necessary, add spices to taste.

A fragrant dish from the oven

This option will certainly be appreciated by lovers of unusual tastes. Do you want to add some variety to your usual recipe? Replace your usual sauce with beer sauce and cook beef goulash with gravy in the oven!

The beginning of the recipe is no different from other options: you need to brown the beef, carrots and onions in a frying pan.

And then we will cook differently. Place the roasted ingredients in a high-sided baking container and fill with dark beer. You will need 500 ml of foamy drink. Add a bay leaf, add a little salt, and scatter peppercorns over the surface.

Place the deco in the preheated oven. Periodically it is necessary to check how the process is going by adding water. 10 minutes before the end of cooking, dilute half a glass of sour cream with a small amount of water, add a small handful of flour (the more flour, the thicker the sauce will be). Stir and pour deco with goulash, evenly distributing the sour cream layer over the entire surface. Return the dish to the oven and brown a little more.

Beef goulash “like in kindergarten”

This taste is probably familiar to everyone. What is the secret of this dish? It is prepared very simply.

Cut 500 g of meat into cubes and fry in a casserole over high heat. Add diced onion (250 g), stir. You only need 1 tbsp of tomato paste. l., it must be added to the meat and mixed. At the same stage, spices are also loaded.

The future goulash must be filled with water so that all components are completely covered. Cover the casserole with a lid, put on low heat and simmer for an hour.

You can cook this beef goulash with gravy and without flour, the dish will not suffer from this - it will be just as aromatic and tender. And the sauce is quite thick. But in kindergartens flour is added to goulash. You will need 1 tbsp. l. with a slide. It must be fried in a dry frying pan until it begins to emit a peculiar aroma, very appetizing and expressive. Then the flour is diluted with a small amount of water and added to the goulash about 5 minutes before the end of cooking.

What to serve goulash with?

Surely you thought through the menu even before you prepared beef goulash with gravy. Most housewives choose an addition to this dish such as mashed potatoes. This option is really good.

But he's not the only one. Boiled rice, spaghetti, and fresh vegetables go well with beef goulash.


    Many people for whom cooking is a hobby know that goulash is a traditional dish of Hungarian cuisine. It is classified as thick soups. There are many recipes for making goulash, however, the main ingredients are beef or veal, onions, bacon, paprika and, in some recipes, potatoes. Goulash was originally cooked in a cauldron over a fire and was the food of Hungarian shepherds.

    We will prepare a traditional aromatic goulash with paprika, according to one of the most common recipes.

    So, we will need the following ingredients:

    • - beef – 1 kg;
    • - garlic – 4 cloves;
    • - onion – 3 heads;
    • - tomato paste – 2 tbsp;
    • - red sweet pepper (dry) – 2 tsp;
    • - butter – 2 tbsp;
    • - broth (can be replaced with water) – 500 ml;
    • - dry rosemary or marjoram – 1 tsp;
    • - 2 bay leaves;
    • - cumin – 1 tsp;
    • - red bell pepper (preferably large) – 2 pcs.;
    • - salt pepper;
    • - a little flour - for a thicker consistency of the dish.

    Cooking goulash

    We start with the basics – meat. Wash, cut into pieces, then rinse again and pat dry with a paper towel. Then add salt and pepper.

    Now heat the frying pan, melt the butter in it and fry the meat thoroughly on all sides.

    Few people like to do this, but goulash without onions is no longer goulash! So we peel and cut the onion into small cubes and add it to the meat. We do the same procedure with garlic, but it needs to be cut more finely than onion.

    Next, add tomato paste and let it simmer a little along with the meat, then sprinkle with ground red pepper. Now is the time to add the broth (or water) and red wine. By the way, wine will give our dish a darker color, a certain taste and aroma.

    Season our goulash with bay leaf, rosemary, cumin and leave to simmer under a closed lid for 70-80 minutes.

    Now wash the paprika, core it and cut it into small cubes. Add it to the goulash and let it simmer for another 20-25 minutes. Next, according to your taste, season with salt and pepper if you think that they are not enough.

    Well, the last thing left is to make our goulash thicker. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a frying pan, add the prepared flour, and hold for a while. Then dilute the resulting mixture with hot water and add to the goulash. Ready!

Today we’ll look at a basic recipe for beef goulash with gravy. This classic dish is always relevant, because it does not become boring, does not depend on fashion and does not include exotic products for everyone. Fragrant juicy meat stewed with vegetables, complemented with herbs and tomato dressing - a great combination that hardly anyone can refuse!

Beef goulash with gravy is a great addition to potatoes, porridge or boiled pasta. When stewed for a long time, the meat comes out very soft and appetizing, and a generous amount of gravy will make any side dish as juicy as possible, with a rich and pronounced taste.

Ingredients:

  • beef - 500 g;
  • onion - 1 pc.;
  • carrots - ½ pcs.;
  • flour - 1 tbsp. heaped spoon;
  • tomato paste - 1-2 tbsp. spoons;
  • fresh herbs - a small bunch;
  • salt, spices - to taste;
  • vegetable oil - 2-3 tbsp. spoons.

Beef goulash with gravy recipe with photos step by step

How to cook goulash with gravy

  1. Cut the pre-washed and dried beef pulp into approximately equal medium-sized pieces. Load the meat pieces into a frying pan with hot vegetable oil. Stirring occasionally, cook the beef over high heat.
  2. As soon as the moisture has evaporated and the meat is covered with a golden crust, add the peeled and finely chopped onion.
  3. Next, add the carrots, grated into fine shavings. Fry the mixture of beef and vegetables for 2-3 minutes. If desired, you can add sweet peppers, celery, green beans, etc. to the goulash. The vegetable set depends only on personal wishes.
  4. Sprinkle the contents of the pan with flour and stir quickly. Fry everything together for a minute (the flour will later thicken the gravy a little and make it richer). Add tomato paste and mix with meat.
  5. Fill the beef with water - the liquid should completely cover the meat pieces. Bring the filling sauce to a boil, then reduce the heat and, covering the container with a lid, simmer the contents of the pan for about 40-60 minutes or more (until the beef is soft). Cooking time depends on the age of the meat. If you use “old” and tough beef, it will take longer to simmer. If necessary, you can add water. During the stewing process, sometimes remove the lid and stir the meat so that it does not burn.
  6. Finely chop the clean greens and add them to the prepared meat. Throw in salt, your favorite spices/seasonings, mix and simmer for literally another 5 minutes.
  7. The result should be soft, juicy and flavorful beef goulash with gravy.

We supplement the meat with a simple side dish, for example, buckwheat porridge, mashed potatoes, pasta, etc. Bon appetit!

Recipe for beef goulash with gravy

Unfortunately, I cannot consider myself one of those children whose mother prepared something similar in childhood. Somehow this dish didn’t take root in our family. Probably because the cooks in our school canteen prepared this dish simply disgusting: the green-colored meat with a thick mealy gravy evoked little appetite.

That’s why I started cooking goulash quite recently, and I’m happy to share with you the recipe for this simple and tasty dish.

List of ingredients

  • 1 kg beef pulp
  • 2 pcs. bulbs
  • 1 PC. carrot
  • 2 tbsp. tomato paste (thick)
  • 3 tbsp. sour cream
  • 2 tbsp. starch or flour
  • 500 ml. water
  • vegetable oil for frying
  • salt and favorite spices

Technology: step by step

  1. Cut the beef into small pieces 1.5-2 cm. I used fresh veal, so I didn’t pre-soak the meat.

2. Pour vegetable oil into a thick-bottomed pan, wait until the bottom of the pan is completely hot, and fry all the beef.

3. You won’t be able to fry the meat right away; there will be a lot of foam and liquid. But you still need to fry the pieces, so drain the liquid from the pan, add a little vegetable oil, and continue frying.

4. Meanwhile, peel and chop the onion and carrots. Onion into cubes, and carrots into random slices.

5. By this time, the meat will already be fried to a beautiful brown crust.

6. Add onions and carrots to the fried beef, mix and cover with a lid so that the vegetables release their juice for 10-15 minutes.

7. Next, add your favorite spices (everything except salt) to our beef goulash and pour about 250 ml. boiling water The water should completely cover the meat, so add more liquid if needed. Bring the goulash to a boil and reduce the heat to low.

8. After an hour, the goulash should already become soft. Take out a piece, cut it and try: the meat begins to fall apart into fibers but is still a little tough. If the beef is very tough and rubbery in tone, at this stage you need to add 2 tbsp. spoons of vodka or cognac.

We continue to cook the dish for another 40-50 minutes, and then again try the beef for softness. By this time the meat will be ready.

Prepare thick gravy with tomato paste

9. Prepare all the ingredients for the gravy: tomato paste, sour cream and starch.

10. Add 250 ml. water, and stir thoroughly with a spoon so that there are no lumps left.

11. Pour the gravy into the pan with the goulash, add salt, stir, and cook for another 10-15 minutes until the gravy begins to thicken a little. It should be noted that the gravy becomes thick only after the dish has completely cooled. Therefore, do not expect that immediately after cooking there will be a spoon in the hot goulash.

How and with what to serve a dish for lunch

12. Serve the finished beef goulash with tomato sauce hot. You can prepare a side dish in advance: boil the pasta, make mashed potatoes, as well as buckwheat or pearl barley. I wish you bon appetit and look forward to your comments on the recipe.

To prepare the most delicious beef goulash, we ideally need fresh veal. But, since beef goulash with tomato sauce can be classified as a budget and inexpensive dish, regular beef (meat from an adult cow or bull) will do.

Moreover, it does not have to be a whole piece; scraps and pieces will do. The main thing is that there are fewer veins and films on the meat.

The most common problem that housewives face after preparing this dish is that the meat in the goulash turned out tough.

A few nuances to make your goulash soft!

Soaking beef. In advance, it is better to soak a piece of meat in water with the addition of a small amount of acid in the evening. A weak acid solution helps tenderize the meat. But a solution that is too acidic will turn the meat into a mealy substance, so it is important not to overdo it with acid. I do this: juice of half a lemon per 1 liter of water. Lemon juice can be replaced with natural apple cider vinegar.

Cooking time is at least 2 hours. Real goulash is cooked for 2-2.5 hours until the meat is completely cooked.

Alcohol. To make beef goulash with gravy softer, you can add 2 tbsp. vodka, cognac or rum.

Boiling water. To prepare goulash you need to use only boiling water or broth.