🇭🇺 Hungarian Pork Pörkölt (Sertéspörkölt)

 Ingredients

1 kg pork shoulder or pork loin, cut into bite-sized cubes

2 large onions, finely chopped

3 tbsp vegetable oil or lard

2 tbsp sweet Hungarian paprika

1 tomato, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp caraway seeds

1 tsp salt, or to taste

½ tsp black pepper

250–350 ml water or beef/pork stock

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 bay leaf

Fresh parsley, for garnish

👩‍🍳 Instructions

Sauté the onions: Heat the oil or lard in a large heavy pot. Add the onions and cook over medium heat until soft and lightly golden.

Add the paprika: Remove the pot briefly from the heat and stir in the Hungarian paprika. This helps prevent the paprika from burning and becoming bitter.

Add the pork: Add the pork pieces and stir well until they are coated with the paprika and onion mixture.

Add the vegetables: Stir in the garlic, tomato, bell pepper, tomato paste, caraway seeds, salt, pepper, and bay leaf.

Slow-cook: Add enough water or stock to partially cover the meat. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook for 60–90 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pork is tender and the sauce becomes thick and rich.

Adjust the sauce: If necessary, add a little water during cooking. The finished pörkölt should have a thick, intensely flavored paprika sauce rather than a thin broth.

Serve: Remove the bay leaf, garnish with fresh parsley, and serve hot.

🥒 Best Served With

Fresh crusty bread

Hungarian pickles or gherkins

Nokedli (Hungarian dumplings)

Boiled potatoes

Rice

Tip: For an authentic Hungarian flavor, use good-quality sweet Hungarian paprika and cook the onions slowly. The paprika is the key to the beautiful color

and deep flavor of this dish.