Goulash is one of the most popular and delicious meat dishes that came to Russia from Eastern Europe. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of different recipes and variations of goulash, but in most of them the main ingredient is beef, which is cut in the traditional way, that is, into cubes.
Instructions
Step 1
Initially, goulash was a shepherd's dish and was cooked in a cauldron over a fire. It was a thick stew with meat, lard, spices and vegetables. Beef, cut into small (two by two centimeters) cubes, was fried with chopped onions in a pot on pork fat until a characteristic crust was formed, after which water, vegetables, spices were added and simmered over low heat.
Step 2
The Soviet culinary tradition somewhat changed the original Hungarian recipe, and they began to call goulash a specially prepared beef served with side dishes as a second course. The basic principle remained the same, but the vegetables were replaced with tomato paste. In fact, this goulash was a meat stew, not a stew.
Step 3
Regardless of what kind of goulash you want to cook, you need to pay enough attention to the selection and cutting of meat. Since the goulash takes a long time to cook, you don't have to worry about the meat getting tough. Therefore, you can choose pieces, including those rich in connective tissue, for example, a ham or shoulder blade. But pieces that are intended for frying (tenderloin, neck, thick and thin edges) are best not used, as they most likely will not give such a rich taste. Traditionally, goulash is made from beef, but there are also options with pork.
Step 4
The meat should be cut into slices two centimeters thick, then cut each piece into strips of the same width, and only then cut them into cubes. If you are using frozen meat, it is worth trying to start cutting without waiting for it to be completely defrosted: in this case, it will be more convenient to cut it into cubes, and during cutting, the meat will have time to completely thaw.
Step 5
Cutting into cubes is the most optimal and common, but you can also experiment, for example, slicing the meat into thin strips like for Stroganoff beef. Please note that cutting should be done across the grain. In addition, the thinner your slicing is, the faster the dish will be ready, but the charm of goulash in no small measure lies precisely in the long languor, which allows the meat to convey all the shades of taste to the gravy.
