Receta Vegetarian Paprikash with Dumplings for #Food of the World
For this month's #Food of the World event, we are visiting Hungary. I have heard a lot of Hungarian food, but never really tasted or made it myself. Like most other European countries, traditional Hungarian dishes are primarily based on meats, seasonal vegetables, bread, dairy products and cheese.
Hungarians are especially passionate about their meat stews, casseroles, steaks and so on. Hungarian Goulash is very popular and I've seen it being made on TV many times and in fact a vegetarian version of it was my first choice to make for today. Goulash is a stew or a soup made with meat, paprika, caraway, vegetables and potatoes or various tiny dumplings or pasta simmered with the meat.
Other famous Hungarian stews include paprikas (a paprika stew simmered in thick creamy paprika gray) and porhoit and so on. Different kinds of noodles and dumplings, potatoes and rice are commonly served as side dishes.
Hungarian food is quite spicy with the use of hot paprika. Sweet or mild paprika is also common. Paprika is a spice made with air dried fruits of the chili pepper family. It is used widely in many Hungarian dishes.
After looking through many recipes, I finally made this Vegetable Paprikash recipe from Gourmandelle. It is basically a spicy veggie stew with eggy dumplings. Some of my dumplings fell apart while cooking but they tasted pretty good in the stew.
Recipe from Gourmandelle:
Ingredients: Serves 2~3
For the Stew:
- Carrot - 1 medium, chopped
- Red Pepper - 1 medium, chopped
- Onion - 1 medium, chopped
- Tomatoes - 2 medium, chopped
- Wholewheat flour - 1tbsp
- Parsley - 3tbsp, finely chopped
- Sweet Paprika - 2tsp
- Hot Paprika - ½tsp
- Bay leaf - 1
- Salt & Pepper - to taste
- For the Dumplings:
- Wholewheat flour - 3~4tbsp
- Egg - 1
- Sea salt - to taste
Method:
Make the Dumplings: Bring a medium saucepan filled with water to a boil.
Whisk egg whites until foamy. Stir in the yolk and sea salt. Whisk until well combined. Stir in 1tbsp flour at a time and beat until a creamy batter forms.
Take about ½tbsp of batter and put in boiling water. Dip the spoon in cold water and repeat making the dumplings. Cover the pot and cook on medium heat for 10 minutes.
When done, turn off the heat and keep the pot covered until the stew is ready.
Make the stew: Heat 1tbsp oil in a saucepan. Add onions and saute for 2~3 minutes or until translucent. Next add carrots, red pepper and cook for 2 more minutes.
Add ½cup of water and simmer for 7~8 minutes or until the veggies are tender.
Stir in the tomatoes, bay leaf and hot & sweet paprika. Cover and cook for 10 more minutes.
In a small bowl, whisk flour and ½cup water into a smooth paste. Pour into the simmer stew and cook for 2~3 minutes or until it gets thick. Remove from the heat and stir in the chopped parsley.
Drain the dumplings and add to the stew. Serve hot!!