Vadas Marha - Hungarian Hunter's Stew
Rated 4.4 stars by 28 users
Servings
4
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
2 hours 5 minutes
Vadas marha recipe for a traditional Hungarian Hunter's stew. The beef cheeks are served in a rich sauce (mártás), with a side of bread dumplings or rice.
Ingredients
-
1 kg beef cheek
- 5 carrots - sliced
- 1 parsnip - sliced
-
1 small celery - chopped into small cubes
- 1 brown onion - halved
-
4 tbsp oil
- 2 tsp mustard
- 2 tbsp sugar
- grated peel of half a lemon
- squeezed juice of half a lemon
- 2 bay leaves
- 1.5l chicken stock or stockpot
Directions
- Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large saucepan, add the beef and brown evenly, then remove from the saucepan and set aside.
- Add the carrots, parsnip and celeriac to the saucepan and fry for 8-10 minutes, then add the mustard and cook for another minute.
Caramelise the sugar in a small saucepan, then add enough water to dissolve.
Add the halved onion, bay leaves, lemon peel, zest, and caramelised sugar to the vegetables, then place the meat back on top.
Add the stock until the vegetables are covered, and cook on medium heat until the cheeks becomes tender.
Place the beef on a plate, remove and discard the bay leaves, and then process the sauce using a handheld blender. You can blitz it until perfectly smooth or leave it a bit chunkier; it is up to personal preference. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper, sugar, mustard or lemon juice if necessary.
- Serve the meat with plenty of sauce on a bed of rice or alongside traditional bread dumplings.
