• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Recipe Index
  • Latest Recipes
  • Sweets
  • How To's
  • About

Where Is My Spoon

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipe Index
  • Latest Recipes
  • Sweets
  • How To's
  • About
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipe Index
    • Latest Recipes
    • Sweets
    • How To's
    • About
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×
    Where Is My Spoon > Recipes > By Courses > Meat

    Pörkölt Recipe - Hungarian Pork Stew

    Published by: Adina November 16, 2017 · Last modified: February 23, 2022 5 Comments

    Sharing is caring!

    515 shares
    • Share
    • Yummly
    • Reddit
    • Twitter
    hungarian pork stew served with flour dumplings in a large vintage plate.

    Pörkölt recipe or Hungarian pork stew, tender meat pieces in an aromatic onion and paprika sauce, served with nokedli. Only 4 ingredients!

    Jump to Recipe

    Another delicious Hungarian stew - pörkölt - that can be enjoyed with the Hungarian Flour Dumplings – Nokedli, one of our favorite side dishes for stews.

    What is pörkölt?

    Pörkölt or porkolt is another typical, authentic Hungarian stew, which is also very common in Romania, especially in Transylvania. Another dish I have been eating all my life, although my grandmother never actually called it porkolt, she would call it “tocana de porc” - pork stew or even goulash.

    hungarian pörkölt with nokedli - pork stew with dumplings

    However, I have learned that both “tocana” or “tokany” in Hungarian and goulash would be the wrong names for this particular Hungarian pork stew.

    According to Wikipedia there are differences between the three dishes: Porkolt or better spelled Pörkölt is made of meat (beef, pork, lamb), onions and paprika and does not have a lot of sauce. Goulash on the other side has more sauce, it is almost like a thick soup and also contains peppers and other vegetables.

    Tokany is originating in Transylvania - Romania and doesn't contain so much paprika (well, my grandma's tocana always did have lots of paprika in it...) and it is made with different kinds of meat and normally lots of vegetables.

    And when it comes to tocana, I really am an expert, I have made tocana with all kinds of meat (including lamb stew and rabbit stew) and with all possible vegetables, like potatoes, eggplants, peas and so on.

     

    hungarian pörkölt with nokedli - pork stew with dumplings

    What do you need?

    Well, the pörkölt recipe is actually a very easy, straightforward recipe using only a few, good quality ingredients: meat, onions, paprika and lard.

    Meat:

    • This recipe can be made with beef or pork, however I make it with pork most of the times, because that is the way my grandmother always cooked it. You can use the neck or leg of pork, cut into cubes.

    Fat:

    • When using lard, just make sure you buy the pure pork lard and not some hydrogenated stuff, which is not good for you. Pure lard is easily available here in Germany, but I am not sure how easily you will find it elsewhere.
    • You can use vegetable oil instead.

    Spices:

    • Good quality Hungarian sweet paprika powder is very important as well, make sure you buy the best you can afford, really cheap one just won’t do, I have made that experience myself.
    hungarian pörkölt with nokedli - pork stew with dumplings

    How to make Hungarian pork stew?

    • Dice the pork neck or leg into small cubes, about 1 cm/ 0.4 inches. Set aside.
    • Quarter the onions and slice the quarters very thinly.
    • Heat the lard or oil in a heavy-bottomed stewing pan or Dutch oven.
    • Fry the onions until golden. Stir in paprika powder.
    • Add pork and continue cooking for about 5 minutes searing the meat on all sides.
    • Pour about 250 ml/ 1 cup hot water, the meat should be barely covered in water. Add some salt and pepper as well. Stir well and cover.
    • Simmer for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring regularly. Check a few times, the dish should not become too dry and catch at the bottom of the pan. Add more hot water if necessary, but no more than 50 – 60 ml/ ¼ cup at a time.
    • After this time check the meat, it should be very tender. The onions should be “melted” or dissolved, you should not be able to recognize their form anymore. If the meat is not perfectly tender and the onions can still be seen and felt in the mouth, continue cooking the pörkölt for another 15 minutes, then check again.
    • At this point, if you have too much liquid in the pot, remove the lid and continue cooking for another 5-10 minutes or until the water evaporates.
    • Adjust the taste with salt and pepper and serve.

    How to serve?

    My favorite side dish for the Hungarian pörkölt are nokedli – flour dumplings. However, mashed or boiled potatoes, German Spätzle, or regular pasta are also great. Serve with sour cucumbers or other pickled vegetables on the side.

    Store and reheat

    The Hungarian pork stew keeps well in the fridge for at least 3 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop and add a splash of water if necessary.

    You can also freeze the leftovers, they will keep well for at least 2-3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator and reheat properly before serving.

    More Hungarian dishes:

    • Chicken Paprikash with Dumplings
    • Pork and Potato Stew
    • Hungarian Beef Goulash
    • Lecso - Hungarian Pepper Stew
    pörkölt recipe served with brussels sprouts and dumplings.

    Pörkölt Recipe - Hungarian Pork Stew

    Pörkölt or Hungarian pork stew, tender meat pieces in an aromatic onion and paprika sauce, served with nokedli. Only four ingredients.
    4.75 from 8 votes
    Print Pin Share GrowSaved! Rate
    Course: Meat Recipes
    Cuisine: Hungarian
    Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 1 hour hour 45 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 2 hours hours 5 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 812kcal
    Author: Adina
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients 

    • 1 kg/ 2.2 lbs pork leg neck or shoulder
    • 6 medium onions
    • 2 tablespoons lard or vegetable oil
    • 2 tablespoons sweet paprika powder
    • fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

    Instructions

    • Dice the meat into small cubes, about 1 cm/ 0.4 inches. Set aside.
    • Quarter the onions and slice the quarters very thinly.
    • Heat the lard or oil in a heavy bottomed stewing pan or Dutch oven. Fry the onions until golden. Add the paprika powder and stir very well.
    • Add the meat and continue cooking for about 5 minutes, stirring often and making sure you sear the meat on all sides.
    • Add about 250 ml/ 1 cup hot water, the meat should be barely covered in water. Add some some salt and pepper as well. Stir well and cover.
    • Simmer for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring regularly and checking that the dish doesn't become too dry and catches at the bottom of the pan. Add a little bit of extra hot water when the water in the pot is gone, but not more than 50 – 60 ml/ ¼ cup at a time.
    • After this time check the meat, it should be very tender and the onions should be “melted” or dissolved, you should not be able to recognize their form anymore. If the meat is not perfectly tender and the onions can still be seen and felt in the mouth, continue cooking the pörkölt for another 15 minutes, then check again.
    • At this point, if you have too much liquid in the pot, remove the lid and continue cooking the pörkölt for another 5-10 minutes or until the water evaporates.
    • Adjust the taste with salt and pepper and serve with nokedli – Hungarian flour dumplings, mashed or boiled potatoes, Spätzle or regular noodles. And also with sour cucumbers or other preserved vegetables.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1g | Calories: 812kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 69g | Fat: 51g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 28g | Cholesterol: 241mg | Sodium: 685mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 7g
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @adinabeck or tag #WhereIsMySpoon!

    More HEARTY MEAT RECIPES

    • sliced pork neck on a vintage platter with a bunch of fresh thyme.
      How to Cook Pork Neck
    • golden brown slow cooker lamb ribs close up.
      Slow Cooker Lamb Ribs
    • two instant pot country style ribs, one pulled to show the melty flesh.
      Instant Pot Country-Style Ribs
    • four air fryer thin pork chops on a black plate,
      Thin Pork Chops in the Air Fryer

    Sharing is caring!

    515 shares
    • Share
    • Yummly
    • Reddit
    • Twitter

    web banner representing all the websites logos that featured our food blog.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jutta Holden says

      November 17, 2017 at 2:02 pm

      Can't wait to make this! Looks so good!
      I have pork butt roast in freezer, is that also ok to use?
      Thank you for your wonderful recipes!

      Reply
      • Adina says

        November 17, 2017 at 3:27 pm

        Hi Jutta. I think pork butt would be fine. Enjoy!?

        Reply
        • Jutta Holden says

          November 17, 2017 at 4:09 pm

          Thank you so much for your quick reply!

          Jutta

          Reply
    2. judy potter says

      December 16, 2021 at 6:48 pm

      Finally the recipe my uncle from Budapest used to make. So simple but so wonderful.

      Reply
      • Adina says

        December 17, 2021 at 12:12 am

        Thank you, Judy.

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating





    Primary Sidebar

    Follow me!

    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • Instagram

    Hello! Where Is My Spoon is a blog where you will find delicious and family friendly recipes, all made from scratch. From simple healthy soups to sumptuous cakes for special occasions, all our recipes have been tried and loved by our family and our friends.

    More about me →

    Green tomatoes

    • many slices of charred grilled green tomatoes with basil on a plate.
      Green Tomatoes on the Grill
    • vintage bowl full with green tomato soup topped with croutons and basil.
      Easy Green Tomato Soup
    • green tomato sauce with pasta in a white bowl
      Green Tomato Sauce
    • green tomato bread slices on a platter with small tomatoes beside it.
      Quick Green Tomato Bread

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    Info

    • Privacy Policy
    • Accessibility Statement

    Our second blog

    The Fast Recipe Food Blog

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2023 - Where Is My Spoon. All rights reserved.