Best Polish Goulash (Authentic Pork Stew)

Polish Goulash is an authentic pork stew that is packed full of flavor and is ideal for a cold day. All you will need for this mouth-watering Polish “goulasz” is a piece of pork meat, carrots, onions, tomatoes, and a few spices. It has the yummiest sauce, will take almost no attention from your side and it is very easy to make.

Today I want to share with you a perfect comfort food for the cold days of the winter. It is so easy to make and you will remain speechless in the end. Yes, you will need two hours and a half until you will put this dish on the table, but it will require only 10-15 minutes of your time. The rest of the time, it will cook by itself. So this shouldn’t stop you. Also, as this recipe is very easy to make, it is a great option even if you’re a beginner in the kitchen and want to cook a delicious stew for a special occasion.

As this recipe will take you a while to make, it is best to save this recipe for a slow lazy weekend when you have some time around the house.

We will go with the traditional authentic recipe, so we will use pork for this recipe because pork meat is the most commonly used in Poland when we are talking about stews. However, you can repeat this recipe and use chicken or beef meat instead of pork.

If you want to get the best results, I highly recommend using a piece of meat that is a little fatty, because the meat will be a lot softer.

If you like this Polish Goulash, you will also enjoy the chicken wings stew.

🔖 What is Polish “Gulasz”?

Polish Goulash is a general term for any stews. No Matter it is meat and/or vegetables only. You will find a lot of variations that will use different vegetables and types of meats.

⚖️ Difference between Hungarian and Polish Goulash?

As it may sound similar, the difference between the Hungarian Goulash and Polish Goulash is almost the consistency of it. While the Hungarian Goulash is thinner and reminds more of a soup. The Polish Goulash is thicker and it looks more like a meat stew.

However, back in the day, the Polish Goulash was thinner and more similar to the Hungarian version. Through the years, because in Poland you will get a few cold months, the Polish Goulash has become thicker by adding in it flour.

👉 What You Will Find in This Post?

• What kind of pan do you need to use for this recipe?
• Why you don’t need to use a lid when frying the meat?
• Why you need to fry the meat in a few batches?
• Serving Suggestions, expert tips, and ingredient substitutions.
• and a lot more…

👩‍🍳How to Make Polish Goulash

1. Cut the pork meat into similar-sized cubes and roll it in all-purpose flour.
2. Fry the meat on high heat for 7 minutes and move the meat into the stew pan.
3. Fry the onion, garlic, and tomatoes for 7 minutes on low heat.
4. Add the spices over the vegetables and fry them for another 2-3 minutes.
5. Put the vegetables, sliced fresh carrot and vegetable broth over the meat in the stewed pan.
6. Mix everything well and simmer for 1 hour and a half on low heat.
7. Serve while it is still hot.

🥰 Why You Will Love This Recipe?

• It is a perfect recipe for a cold day that will warm you up and give you energy for the entire day.
• It cooks from simple and affordable ingredients that you can find at the local store.
• This recipe doesn’t require too much attention from you. It is a recipe that will cook almost on its own.
• It’s an easy recipe to follow even if you don’t have too much experience in the kitchen.

🥘 Ingredients and Substitutes

• Pork meat. I used pork shoulders, but you can use any part of pork you want, but I suggest for this Polish pork stew choose a piece of meat that still has a little fat. This way the meat will come out softer at the end.
• Vegetables. I used a carrot, one onion, and a few garlic cloves. They offer a sweet taste and are the basis of the sauce in which the meat will be smothered.
• Tomatoes. I used canned peeled tomatoes. You could replace them with fresh tomatoes ( you will also need to peel them), or if you don’t have them on hand, you could use about 3 tablespoons of marinara tomato sauce.
• Spices. I used a mix of Chilli, dried cumin, and smoked paprika because these are the basic spices in the traditional Polish goulash. If you do not insist on making the recipe as close to the original as possible, do not be afraid to experiment with other spices or aromatic herbs that you prefer.
• All Purpose Flour. We need to use flour to help the meat to brown better and to give a more creamy consistency to the sauce. You could replace it with the same amount of cornstarch or potato starch.
• Vegetable Broth.

Optionally, you can add some wild mushrooms or bell peppers to this stew. These variations are also very popular in Poland.

Quick Note: To be easier for you, at the end of the article, you will find the recipe card that you can print with all the instructions and ingredients amounts. However, I highly recommend you to read the entire article because you will find a lot of photos, tips, and tricks that will make the cooking process easier for you.

👩‍🍳 Step-by-step Directions

Wash the meat well, and dry the meat pieces with a paper towel on all sides to remove all the excess water. After that, cut the meat into equal cubes.

Pour the all-purpose flour over the pork meat and mix everything well to make sure that all the meat pieces are well-covered with the flour on all sides.

Now we need to fry the meat and give it a nice golden crust color. For that, pour about 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan, wait until the olive oil heats up, and then put the meat in the pan.

Fry the meat over high heat for about 7 minutes (mixing the meat 2-3 times during this time) until you get a golden crust as in the picture below.

Quick Note: Use a large pan that has a thick bottom. If the pan is small, I will recommend frying the pork meat in a few batches because if you will load the pan too much, the meat will be stewed instead of frying and getting a crust.

Pro Tip: It is important to fry meat without a lid on the pan because if you use a lid, the water will remain in the pan instead of evaporating and the meat will stew. If you are worried about grease splashes that can eliminate from the pan, I recommend using a Splatter Screen. It will stop the fat from dripping all around your kitchen, but at the same time, it will allow the steam to evaporate.

Take out the meat from the pan put it in a stew pot. Don’t throw away the oil from the pan because we will fry the vegetables in it.

Leave the meat aside and return back to the pan in which we just fried the meat. Over the remaining oil, add the chopped onions, garlic, and peeled tomatoes.

Quick Note: As I used canned tomatoes, I put them whole. If you are going to use fresh tomatoes, cut them into cubes as well.

Cook the vegetables for 7 minutes on medium heat. After that, add all the spices you decided to use (I used dried cumin, chili, paprika, salt, and pepper) mix well, and cook the vegetables for another 2-3 minutes.

Add the cooked vegetables over the meat. Slice the carrot in half slices, and add it over the fried meat near a glass of vegetable broth.

Mix all the ingredients well, cover with a lid, and simmer on low heat for about an hour and a half.

From time to time, you can check the liquid level in the pan and mix its contents to avoid burning and sticking the food to the bottom of the pan.

Quick Note: If you use a quality pan with a thick bottom and a lid that closes well, you can stay calm for an hour and a half. This dish does not require your attention. It will cook almost alone.

In the end, for extra freshness and flavors, decorate the plate with some chopped parsley.

If you want an authentic taste of the original recipe, you are advised to serve this Polish goulash while it is hot, with a slice of toast crispy bread and of course next to some pickles.

🏆 Expert Tips. What to Pay Attention On?

• Cut the meat into equal pieces, because it will look better on the plate and we will make sure that all the meat pieces are cooked evenly.
• Roast the meat well before putting it in the stewing pot.
• Heat a little the spices, because when the spices are warm, they open the flavors more easily.
• Strive as much as possible to use spices that are fresh and of high quality, because, in this dish, the spices make the difference and give a special taste to this meal.

🍽️ Serving Suggestions

The best fit for this comfort food will be a few slices of toast homemade bread or a few homemade buns that will allow you to enjoy fully the taste of the sauce.

It would also be a good option to serve the Polish “goulasz” next to simple boiled rice, mashed potatoes, potato pancakes, near a creamy polenta, and of course near the buckwheat kasha.

Also, if you are looking for some drinking suggestions, all I can say is that the best fit for this dish will be a glass of beer. If you have the possibility, pick a Polish beer for a full-themed Polish night.

♻️ Make Ahead, Storage and Heating:

📋 Recipe Card: