Goulash with Basmati

Updated at: Thu, 17 Aug 2023 08:50:02 GMT

Step 1

Start by fileting the meat, removing the fatter parts and the connective tissue. Then chop the sirloin in small pieces.

Step 2

Finely chop the onion and the carrot; warm up a little olive oil in a pan and let the onion and carrot gently cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. The onion should turn transparent without burning.

Step 3

Add the meat, with a pince of salt and pepper. Let it sear well for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned. In the meanwhile, clean and crush the garlic, and chop the tomato in small pieces.

Step 4

When there's almost no liquid left from the meat cooking, add the garlic, the cumin seeds, the bay leaf and the paprika. Cook for only about a minute so the meat becomes fragrant, and immediately add the tomatoes and mix well (the paprika becomes bitter if cooked too long without moisture).

Step 5

Now it's time to add the warm broth. Home made broth is the best way to go, but stock cube will also do it. Cover the meat entirely with the bouillon, and close the pan with a lid. This will have to cook for 1 hour, so occasionally lift the lid to check on it: if the meat is getting too dry, add some more broth to it.

Step 6

In the meantime, clean the potatoes and chop them in small cubes of 1 cm per side. Clean the peppers and chop them diagonally in small stripes. Once the meat has been cooking for the necessary time, add the potatoes and the green peppers to it, mix well and cover with the lid, cook for about 20 minutes. The broth must be enough so that all the vegetables cook evenly, but keep in mind that you want it to reduce to a point that the gulash is moist, not liquid. What I do is to keep an eye on the potatoes, tasting them every now and them: when they're beginning to soften enough, I make sure to not add any liquid to it.

Step 7

While the goulash is doing its thing, you can take care of the rice. This is how you make it the eastern way: add one and a half teacups of water in a pot, put on the stove and heat until the water boils. Once it does, immediately lower the heat to the minimum, add a pinch (a pinch!) of seasalt and a spoon of olive oil. Be sure that the salt dissolves evenly, and then add 1 teacup of basmati rice, without washing it. Cover with a lid and let cook on very low fire for about 10 to 12 minutes; the water will then have been absorbed completely and the rice will result perfectly cooked. You need to time the cooking well, trying not to check on the rice often, because every time the lid is open, water vapor escapes, lowering the heat and pressure within the pot (transparent lid might be useful).

Step 8

When your delicious gulash is ready, taste it and adjust with salt if necessary. Serve it with some rice and enjoy!

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