Equipment
Ingredients
Meat & Fat
- 600 g pork loin, cut into 1cm thick slices or bite-sized strips
- 30 g pork lard
Aromatics & Vegetables
- 300 g yellow onions, finely diced
- 250 g sweet red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and sliced into thin strips
- 15 g garlic, minced
Spices & Base
- 25 g sweet hungarian paprika
- 30 g tomato paste
- 400 ml chicken broth, warm
- 10 g salt
- 3 g black pepper, freshly ground
Cream Finish
- 200 g full-fat sour cream, room temperature
- 15 g all-purpose flour
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 534 kcal
- Protein
- 37 g
- Carbohydrates
- 24 g
- Fat
- 34 g
- Fiber
- 5 g
- Sugar
- 8 g
- Sodium
- 1521 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 13 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 13 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 5 g
- Cholesterol
- 115 mg
- Potassium
- 1131 mg
- Calcium
- 138 mg
- Iron
- 3.0 mg
- Magnesium
- 73 mg
- Phosphorus
- 419 mg
- Zinc
- 3.0 mg
- Vitamin A
- 310 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 89 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.7 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 3.3 mg
- Vitamin K
- 10 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 1.0 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.9 mcg
- Thiamin
- 1.06 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.59 mg
- Niacin
- 12.8 mg
- Folate
- 53 mcg
- Water
- 368 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Season the pork loin slices evenly with half of the salt and all of the black pepper. Let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes.
Heat the lard in a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear the pork slices in batches until lightly browned on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Do not cook through. Remove the pork to a plate and set aside.
Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the diced onions to the remaining fat in the pot. Sauté slowly until translucent and very soft, about 10 minutes, scraping up any browned bits from the pork.
Add the sliced red bell peppers and minced garlic. Sauté for another 5 minutes until the peppers begin to soften.
Remove the pot completely from the heat source. Stir in the sweet Hungarian paprika and tomato paste, mixing well for 30 seconds to bloom the spices without burning them.
Return the pot to medium heat. Pour in the warm chicken broth and remaining salt. Bring to a gentle simmer. Return the pork slices and any resting juices to the pot.
Cover and simmer gently at around 85 degrees Celsius / 185 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes, or until the pork loin is tender and reaches a safe internal temperature of at least 63 degrees Celsius / 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the room temperature sour cream and all-purpose flour until completely smooth. Ladle about 100ml of the hot cooking liquid into the sour cream mixture, whisking constantly to temper the dairy.
Pour the tempered sour cream mixture back into the Dutch oven, stirring continuously. Simmer gently uncovered for 5 minutes until the sauce has thickened and coats the back of a spoon. Do not let the sauce boil.
Remove from heat, taste for seasoning, and serve immediately alongside buttered egg noodles, dumplings, or potatoes.
Chef's Notes
- The quality of your paprika dictates the quality of this dish. Look for authentic Hungarian sweet paprika imported from Szeged or Kalocsa, and replace it if it has been sitting in your pantry for over six months.
- Pork loin is leaner than the traditional pork shoulder used in some stews. It requires careful, gentle heat to prevent it from drying out or becoming chalky.
- Tempering the sour cream is a non-negotiable step. Shocking cold dairy with boiling liquid will cause the proteins to clump and separate, ruining the velvety texture of the sauce.
- Cooking the onions in lard is traditional and provides a deep, savory backbone to the sauce that neutral oils cannot replicate.
Storage
Refrigerator: 4 days — Store in an airtight container. Reheat gently to prevent the sour cream from separating.
Reheating: Reheat slowly in a saucepan over low heat. Do not let it boil.
Troubleshooting
Sauce curdled or separated
Cause: The sour cream was too cold, too low in fat, or the sauce was boiled after the dairy was added.
Fix: Remove the meat and vigorously whisk or blend the sauce off the heat until it emulsifies again. Return meat and heat gently.
Prevention: Always use full-fat sour cream, temper it with hot liquid before adding it to the pot, and never let the sauce boil once the dairy is incorporated.
Sauce is bitter
Cause: The paprika was burned when added to the pan.
Fix: Cannot be fixed. Adding a small amount of sugar or honey can slightly mask the bitterness, but the burnt flavor will remain.
Prevention: Always remove the pan from the heat source before stirring in the paprika, and add liquid shortly after.
Pork is tough and chewy
Cause: Pork loin is a lean cut and can toughen if boiled vigorously instead of gently simmered.
Fix: Continue to simmer very gently for another 15-20 minutes until the connective tissue breaks down further.
Prevention: Ensure the simmering liquid barely bubbles (around 85 degrees Celsius) and do not rush the cooking process.
Cultural Context
Paprikash (paprikás) is a cornerstone of Hungarian culinary tradition, distinguished from goulash (gulyás) and pörkölt by its signature inclusion of sour cream, or tejföl. While chicken (csirke) is the most globally recognized variation, pork (sertés) is equally beloved in Eastern European farmhouses. The dish traces its origins back to the 19th century when paprika, introduced by the Ottoman Turks, became the defining spice of the Hungarian plains.
