If you’re vegetarian or simply don’t feel like eating meat, this mushroom paprikash is a good foray into the world of paprika-spiked Hungarian classics. The dish works best with basic white or cremini mushrooms that don’t overwhelm the rich and creamy sauce.
Ingredients
Yield: 4-5 servings; Total time: 45 minutes
For the paprikash
700 grams (1 ½ pounds) white or cremini mushrooms, stems trimmed and cut into 2 ½
cm (1-inch) long, thin slices
3 tablespoons vegetable oil or lard
1 heaping tablespoon Hungarian sweet paprika
1 onion, peeled and minced
1 teaspoon salt (more to taste)
2 pinches freshly ground pepper
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 ripe medium tomato, peeled and cut into very small pieces (or puréed into smooth paste using an immersion blender)
1 Hungarian wax pepper or yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into very small pieces (or puréed into smooth paste using an immersion blender)
¼ cup of water
1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon flour
1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
Optional: pickled vegetables or cucumber salad for the side
For the egg dumplings (galuska)
3 eggs
400 grams (2 ¾ cups) all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
150 ml (⅔ cup) water
3 pinches of salt
Directions
Step 1: Heat oil or lard in a large pot over medium-high, then add minced onion and sauté until translucent, about 6-8 minutes.
Step 2: Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in paprika, minced garlic, the small bits of tomato and yellow pepper, salt, and freshly ground pepper. Add ¼ cup of water, place lid on pot or skillet, and let it steam-cook at a low simmer for 15 minutes.
Step 3: Add mushrooms and continue cooking at a low simmer until mushrooms are soft and lightly browned, about 12 minutes.
Step 4: While mushroom is cooking, prepare the egg dumplings by mixing egg, flour, oil, water, and salt. Knead them into a wet dough, then using a wetted spaetzle maker or a cutting board and a knife (or the holes of a colander if at least ½ cm or ¼-inch thick), shave coarse bits of dough into a large pot filled with 3 liters (3.2 quarts) of simmering salted water. Scoop out the galuska with a strainer when they appear on the surface a few minutes later. Drizzle with a generous amount of oil and mix well so they don’t stick together, then put aside.
Step 5: Finish the paprikash sauce. In a medium bowl, mix together sour cream and flour (reserve 2 tablespoons of sour cream for garnish).
Step 6: Turn off the heat and add the sour cream mixture to the pot and stir well. Turn heat to medium and let the sauce thicken into a creamy consistency at a low simmer for 1-2 minutes (if you prefer a thicker sauce, let a bit more liquid evaporate). Mix in the chopped parsely (retain a bit for garnish).
Step 7: Taste the sauce for salt and add more if needed. Serve the mushroom paprikash and the dumplings side by side on a dinner plate, drizzling any leftover parsley and sour cream on top. You can prepare a simple cucumber salad for the side.
Words of advice
Instead of dumplings, people also serve the mushroom paprikash with rice on the side.
I created these recipes with the help of nearly a dozen historical Hungarian cookbooks, adjusting ingredients, cooking times, and methods to reflect my own preferences and tastes of the current day. Do you have any feedback? Please let me know!