Homemade Goulash Soup Recipe

Homemade Goulash Soup with Venison, Beef or a mix of Beef with Pork

This homemade Goulash Soup is called Gulaschsuppe in Germany. For this goulash soup you can use venison, beef or beef and pork mixed. If you use venison, the meat cubes should be marinated as described below. Beef and a mix of beef with pork does not need to be marinated.

Ingredients for marinade used for venison:

• 1000 g (2.2 lb.) venison roast OR  beef roast (if pre-cut, make sure the cubes are not too large)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 ½ teaspoons of thyme
• 8 juniper berries
• 946 ml (32 oz) of buttermilk
• 500 ml (17 oz) of red wine

Ingredients for homemade Goulash Soup with venison, beef or a mix of beef with pork:

• 100 g (3.5 oz) pork fat OR 2 tablespoons of lard
• 822 g (29 oz) of tomato sauce (canned)
• 1 teaspoon of caraway seeds
• 3 teaspoons of salt
• ½ teaspoon of paprika
• 100 g (3.5 oz) of carrots
• 500 g (17.5 oz) of onions
• 1 jalapeño pepper
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1 ½ l (1.5 quarts) of water
• 6 fresh peppers (in a variety of colors)
• 2 tablespoons of red wine
• 3 tablespoons of crème fraîche OR sour cream
• 1 ½ teaspoons of sugar

Preparation of marinade for venison:

With a whisk, mix the red wine and buttermilk together. Add in bay leaves, thyme, and juniper berries. Cut the meat into small cubes and add them to the marinade. The meat should be completely covered in the liquid. Marinated the meat in the refrigerator overnight.

Preparation of Goulash Soup:

 

If you used venison for your goulash soup, remove the meat from the marinade and dry the meat cubes with a paper kitchen towel. The following instructions are for venison, beef, and the mix of beef with pork.

Cut the pork fat into small pieces and fry them in a saucepan until the fat has melted. Remove any leftover greaves. Alternatively melt two tablespoons of lard. Cut the onions in strips, press the garlic cloves through a garlic press and fry both in the fat until they become transparent. The melted cooking fat may be substituted with 3 tablespoons of oil, if preferred. Add in the dried meat cubes and fry. When the meat is brown, add the diced peppers, the sliced carrots, and the chopped jalapeño pepper. Mix the ingredients and let them cook for about 10 minutes, while stirring from time to time. 

To create the Goulash Soup, add the canned tomatoes and water. Add salt, paprika, and caraway seeds and stir. Turn down the heat to medium and let it simmer for about 1 ½ hours.

                     

When your Goulash Soup has simmered  for the recommended time, add in the red wine and sugar. Turn the heat off and add crème fraîche or sour cream. Stir the soup until the crème fraîche or sour cream has dissolved. Taste the soup before you add any seasoning. If you prefer to have your soup less thick, just mix in a little more water. Serve the soup with bread or Oma’s Homemade Baguette.