Hungarian stew, the Indian way

Pushpesh Pant

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A friend of ours who has spent many years in Eastern Europe once treated us to Hungarian goulashes in his house. Truth be told, it was an Indian rendering of the traditional ‘cowboy’ dish popular all over Eastern and Central Europe. Avoiding the controversial beef or buff, he had substituted mutton stripes that resembled shredded lamb served in most Chinese eateries in our land, and we couldn’t taste the least bit of Hungary in it. What can’t be denied is that goulash is a great comfort food — an easy to prepare, well-balanced flavourful meal, and though it may have originated in Hungary, it has been adopted and adapted according to the local palate and availability of ingredients in Poland, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Austria, Italy, and even America. So why not an unabashed Indian improvisation?

The pedantic purists insist that the Hungarian (or for that matter East or Central European) goulashes were made without tomatoes and peppers, as these hadn’t reached the old world until the Portuguese and the Spanish brought them after their discovery and conquest of the new world. They forget that food evolves constantly and seldom follows sterile scholarly dictates. We, in India, have long treated tomatoes and potatoes, along with chillies, as children of this soil. If we can devise a Navratri pizza, what stops us from treating the family and friends to a potful of vegetarian goulash prepared with soya mince, kathal or a mash of yam? But we digress.

Our thoughts turned to the goulash when it rained again the other night, prolonging the unusual spell of cold wave and the heart pined for something hot and hearty. The recipe doesn’t require elaborate preparation and you can happily substitute one for another. The Americans are fond of eggs and often top it with a sunny side up and some in the Netherlands make it creamier with additional dairy-like sour cream.

Desi Goulash

Ingredients

Mince 250g

Onions 100g

Garlic cloves 4-6

Tomatoes 100g

Carrots 50g

Bell pepper (small, any colour) 1

Sweetcorns 50g

Macaroni 100g

Cheddar cheese 25g

Bay leaf 1

Black peppercorns 10

Dry red chillies (broken in pieces) 2

Tomato sauce 2 tbs

Oil 1/4 cup

Salt To taste

Method

• Peel and chop the onions. Dice the tomatoes. Crush the garlic cloves. Cut the carrots in small pieces. Cut the bell pepper in bite-sized pieces.
• Heat oil in a thick-bottomed pan. Add a bay leaf and peppercorns to it. n Add mince, along with the onions and garlic, and stir-fry on medium flame till well-browned and the raw smell of meat is gone.
• Add two cups of hot water. Bring to a boil, reduce the flame to medium and put in sweetcorns and macaroni. Add salt and stir. Cook without the lid till the soup thickens to desired consistency and the macaroni is done too.
• Stir in the tomato sauce. Add bell peppers, carrots and tomatoes. Add red chillies. Grate the cheese and spread all over the top evenly. Cover with a lid and simmer for two more minutes. Serve hot with bread rolls or steamed rice.