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Beef Paprikash with Sour Cream
Instructions
Prepare the beef and vegetables. Trim the tough outer silverskin and excess fat from the chuck. Pat dry with kitchen paper and cut into roughly 3 cm (1 1/4 inch) pieces, across the grain where possible. Finely chop the onions, cut the trimmed red pepper into small dice and mince the garlic. Use a separate board for raw meat.
Brown the beef in batches. Heat a heavy 24-26 cm (9 1/2-10 inch) casserole over medium-high heat. Divide 20 g of the oil between two or three batches. Add the beef in an uncrowded layer and brown for about 2 minutes on each of two sides. Allow roughly 12-15 minutes for all batches. Transfer the meat and its juices to a clean bowl. The beef does not need to cook through yet.
Make the paprika base. Reduce the heat to medium, add the remaining 5 g oil and cook the onions for 5 minutes, stirring. Add the red pepper and cook for another 3-4 minutes, then the garlic for 30 seconds. Take the pan off the burner, wait 20-30 seconds and stir in the sweet paprika. Immediately add the hot water and loosen the brown cooking residue with a wooden spatula. Do not scrape black, burnt residue into the sauce.
Braise until fork-tender. Return the beef and juices to the pan, then add the salt and black pepper. The liquid should come roughly halfway to two-thirds up the meat, not cover it completely. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover and cook over low heat for 90-120 minutes. Stir and check the bottom every 25-30 minutes, adding hot water in 50 ml splashes if needed. A fork should slide easily into the meat and separate its fibres. If it still feels springy, keep braising.
Temper the sour cream. When the beef is tender, check the sauce: it should coat a spoon but still pour easily. If watery, simmer uncovered for 5-10 minutes before adding the sour cream. Remove the pan from the heat. In a separate bowl, gradually stir 3-4 tablespoons of the hot sauce into the sour cream to warm and loosen it.
Finish the sauce and serve. Gradually stir the warmed sour cream mixture into the beef. Return to the lowest heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring and avoiding a rolling boil. Taste, adjust the seasoning if needed and finish with chopped parsley. Serve hot with your chosen side dish.
Choosing the beef and paprika
The base recipe makes 4 servings without a side dish. Vegetable weights are after trimming. The estimated 580 kcal per serving depends mainly on the fat content of the beef and sour cream. Changing the serving count scales the ingredients, not the braising time.
Chuck with a little marbling is a practical choice for this slow braise. There is no need to buy expensive tenderloin: it suits much shorter cooking. Generic packs labelled stewing beef can contain different cuts, so use tenderness, not a fixed timer, as the final test.
Use fragrant sweet paprika, preferably Hungarian, with a clear red colour. Smoked paprika can be a small addition, but should not dominate the sour cream sauce. This is a home-style beef adaptation, not a claim that there is only one historically authentic paprikash.
Use a heavy covered casserole of about 3 litres (3 quarts). Allow roughly 2 1/2 hours overall, including about 35-40 minutes of hands-on work. As a shopping guide, 800 g beef is about 1 3/4 lb and 350 ml water is about 1 1/2 US cups. The gram and millilitre quantities are the reference measurements.
Troubleshooting the beef and sauce
- The beef is still chewy. Keep the heat low, check the liquid and continue cooking covered. Test every 15-20 minutes and wait until it is tender before adding sour cream.
- The sauce tastes bitter. Paprika can scorch in very hot fat. Do not try to hide a burnt base with sugar; remake the base if the spices have burned.
- The sauce is watery. Reduce it uncovered before adding sour cream. Lift out already tender beef while reducing if necessary.
- The sauce is too thick. Loosen with a splash of hot water. Once sour cream has been added, avoid vigorous boiling.
Serving, storing and reheating
Serve over plain egg noodles, mashed potatoes or rice to catch the sauce. For a different slow-cooked beef meal, try oven-baked beef roast. For tenderloin that cooks quickly, see skillet beef langet.
Divide leftovers into shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours. Keep at 4°C (40°F) or below for up to 3-4 days. Reheat only the portion needed, with a splash of water, until it reaches 74°C (165°F) throughout. For freezing, it is easier to set aside part of the stew before adding sour cream, then finish the sauce after thawing and reheating.
Recipe video: Beef paprikash by Consuming Passions
Important: This video uses mushrooms and a different cut. Follow this recipe for the ingredients and braising time.
Images were generated with AI.
FAQ
What cut of beef is best for paprikash? +
Use boneless chuck with a little marbling for this slow-braised version. It becomes tender with time. Tenderloin cooks much faster, so it is not a like-for-like substitute at the same cooking time.
How long does beef paprikash take to cook? +
Chuck cut into roughly 3 cm chunks usually needs 90-120 minutes of gentle braising after browning. Test with a fork rather than relying on the clock alone. Tougher beef may need extra time and a little more hot water.
What is the difference between paprikash and goulash? +
Here, paprikash is a main dish finished with sour cream and flavoured generously with sweet paprika. Hungarian goulash is generally a soup, often with potatoes. Home-style versions overlap, so the names are not always used consistently.
What kind of paprika should I use? +
Choose sweet paprika, ideally Hungarian. It gives colour and a rounded pepper flavour without strong heat. Do not replace the full 15 g with hot or smoked paprika, which would change the flavour substantially.
How do I keep the sour cream from curdling? +
Gradually stir several spoonfuls of hot sauce into the sour cream first. Take the beef off the heat before mixing it in. Then warm gently without a rolling boil. Full-fat sour cream is easier to work with than fat-free varieties.
Does beef paprikash need tomato paste or flour? +
Not in this version. Paprika provides the colour, while softened onions, a modest amount of braising liquid and sour cream provide body. Some home-style recipes include tomatoes, but they are not needed here.
Can I use a slow cooker? +
Yes. Brown the beef and soften the vegetables first, then transfer to a slow cooker. Use about 250 ml water initially because less liquid evaporates. Cook until fork-tender, usually 7-8 hours on low depending on the appliance and cut. Stir in tempered sour cream at the end.
What should I serve with beef paprikash? +
Egg noodles, mashed potatoes, rice or small dumplings all work well. Keep the side dish simply seasoned so it complements the paprika sauce. The nutrition estimate does not include a side dish.
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