RECIPE, VIDEO: Traditional Hungarian stuffed paprika

Hungarians used many different techniques to make this traditional stuffed paprika recipe over the decades. There are types without pepper, without meatballs, with fish, vegetables, cheese, etc. Either way, it’s famous in almost every family, probably one of the most popular ones.

The paprika (pepper) must be Hungarian pepper, called paprika, and not Californian, kápia or any other pepper. Hungarians call this special type of white pepper TV paprika, because it is intended for stuffing (tölteni való).

Ingredients for 4 servings

• 10 pieces of wide white peppers intended for stuffing (tölteni való, TV)
• 50 dkg minced pork
• 15 dkg rice
• 1 medium sized onion
• 400 g tomato concentrate
• ground pepper (to taste)
• ground paprika (to taste)
• salt to taste
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
• 1.5 tablespoons fine flour

Many people think that stuffed pepper is an original Hungarian dish, but in fact, the first traditional stuffed pepper comes from Serbians, while many historians believe that they also learned the recipe from the Turkish.

Preparation of stuffed paprika

1. Wash the peppers.
2. Remove the seeds from the peppers. An easier method is to push them inwards by the stem, and then you can remove the stalk in one movement, without a knife, suggests Nosalty.
3. Cook the rice until half done.
4. Fry the onion in a little oil.
5. Mix the ingredients for the filling (rice, minced meat, onion and spices) and loosely stuff the peppers with it, leaving enough room for the rice to grow.
6. Place the stuffed peppers in a larger pot. Before filling, some families cut the top of the peppers off, and then use this cut end to place in the bottom of the pot, and cover it with the stuffed peppers.
7. In a small pot, with a little oil and flour, make a bread-coloured roux.
8. Add the tomato concentrate, salt, sugar, and pour water over the peppers, to just cover them.
9. Cover the pot with a lid and steam until they soften.

The Hungarian type of “stuffed paprika” has been part of the Hungarian gastronomy for 100-120 years. The stuffed pepper’s recipe has gone through many changes by the Transylvanian traditions. In some variations, the sauce was made with sour cream instead of tomato.

Source: nosalty.hu