ReceptnaptárBeef in creamy vadas sauce with tarhonya
Vadas sauce was originally made for game meat (hence the name), but it's just as classic with beef — the raisins and mustard give it its distinctive sweet-and-tangy flavour.
Open in Receptnaptár — serving calculator, cook mode, save
Ingredients
Method
Tap a step once you've finished it.
- Heat the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat and brown the meat on all sides until it has a nice brown crust (about 5-6 minutes).
- Add the chopped onion and the sliced carrots and parsley root and cook together for 5 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper, add the bay leaf, tomato purée and mustard, then pour in enough water to cover.
- Braise covered over low heat for 1.5-2 hours until the meat is completely tender - it should fall apart easily with a fork.
- When the meat is tender, add the raisins and cook together for another 10 minutes so they plump up.
- Meanwhile, make the tarhonya: heat the lard in a frying pan, add the tarhonya and toast over medium heat, stirring constantly, until every grain is golden brown.
- Pour in the stock or water, season with salt and cook covered for 12-15 minutes until the tarhonya is tender and has absorbed the liquid.
- If needed, thicken the sauce with the flour mixed smooth with a little water and boil for 2-3 minutes until thick.
- Take off the heat, stir in the sour cream and sugar, and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.
- Serve with the tarhonya, with the meat generously covered in the creamy vadas sauce.
A Receptnaptár original recipe. Calories and protein are estimated.
Tips
- Brown the meat briefly over high heat before braising: this seals in the juices and gives the sauce a deeper flavour.
- Toast the tarhonya in a dry pan, stirring constantly, until golden before adding liquid — this is what gives it its characteristic toasted flavour; skip it and it stays pale and bland.
- Stir the roux (flour and sour cream) into the dish gradually, tempered with hot sauce first, or it will go lumpy.
- Dill or lemon zest can stand in for the mustard if you'd like a sharper, less sweet flavour.
Frequently asked questions
What cut of beef is best for vadas?
Topside or shoulder, because they turn tender beautifully during long, slow braising; fillet isn't ideal here, as it would overcook.
What can replace the raisins?
Chopped dried apricots, or leave them out and add a little extra sugar to keep the sweet note.
Similar recipes
- Goveđa čorba (beef soup with root vegetables) · South Slavic
- Bœuf aux carottes (braised beef with carrots) · French
- American pot roast with vegetables · American
- Boiled Beef with Potatoes · Hungarian
- Youvetsi (beef and orzo baked in a clay pot) · Greek
- Goulash soup (gulyásleves) · Hungarian
More hungarian ideas
- Chuck Steak with Pan Gravy
- Homemade beef broth (húsleves)
- Beef stew (marhapörkölt)
- Beefsteak with onions
- Beef tenderloin with fried egg
- Stuffed beef roll with vegetable gravy
- Beefsteak
How to use it · Privacy (in Hungarian) · Legal notice (in Hungarian) · Editorial principles (in Hungarian) · Cookie settings