I don’t know if this soup has been named after Likócs, a garden district of Győr, or it has nothing to do with it, but it’s surely one of the best gulyás soups I have ever eaten. This type of goulash is made with pork (instead of beef) and potatoes, other vegetables like carrot, parsley root and celeriac are not added in this case. Instead of pinched noodles (csipetke) we use cérnametélt, literally thread noodles, an extra-fine pasta. Once the soup is done, it’s enriched with sour cream and flavoured with lemon juice.
Ingredients:
- 1 kg (~2 1/4 lbs) boneless pork, cut into 1 inch cubes
- 2 tbsp lard
- 2 onions, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp Hungarian paprika
- 2-3 tsp salt
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp caraway seeds
- 700 g (~1 1/2 lbs) potatoes, diced
- 1,5 – 2 liters (~6-8 cups) stock or water
- 2 green peppers, chopped
- 1 tomato, chopped
- 100 g (~3 1/2 oz) extra-fine noodles (cérnametélt – thread noodles)
- 2 tbsp sour cream
- lemon juice to taste
Sauté onions in lard until translucent. Add pork and sear until all sides turn white. When the meat releases enough juice, sprinkle with paprika and salt. Once the liquid boils away, reduce the heat, add finely chopped garlic and caraway seeds, and pour in water, just enough to cover 1/3 of the food (pork has to be braised in a small quantity of liquid). Cover and slowly simmer. Stir it regularly and keep adding water until the pork is nearly done.
Once the meat is almost tender, add diced potatoes to the pork and over medium heat, while stirring constantly, cook for 2-3 minutes. Pour in stock or water, then add chopped green peppers and tomatoes. When potatoes start to soften, add noodles and cook for a few minutes until tender. Turn off the heat. Place sour cream in a small bowl, ladle some hot soup over it and mix until well combined. Pour the mixture into the soup and give it a good stir. Finally flavour your soup with freshly squeezed lemon juice.
