Pork Goulash
Although goulash is frequently made with sour cream, leaving it out makes this a much healthier dish. A mere 2 tablespoons of sour cream has 50 calories!
INGREDIENTS | SERVES 4 to 6
- 1 pound lean boneless pork
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1½ teaspoons cornstarch
- 6 tablespoons tomato juice
- 6 tablespoons beef broth
- 3½ tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 medium white onion, chopped
- 1 tablespoon paprika, or to taste
- 1 cup canned sauerkraut, drained
- ¼ cup sour cream, optional
Cut the lean boneless pork into 1-inch cubes. In a large bowl, toss the pork with the salt, black pepper, and cornstarch. Set aside.
Combine the tomato juice and beef broth in a small bowl and set aside.
Heat a wok or skillet over medium-high heat until it is nearly smoking. Add 1½ tablespoons oil. When the oil is hot, add the pork, laying it flat in the pan. Let sear (brown) briefly, then stir-fry the meat, stirring and tossing until it is no longer pink and is nearly cooked through. Remove the meat from the pan and drain in a colander or on paper towels.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in the wok or skillet. When the oil is hot, add the garlic. Stir-fry for 10 seconds, then add the onion. Sprinkle the paprika over the onion. Stir-fry the onion for 2 minutes or until it begins to soften. Add the sauerkraut. Stir-fry for a minute, mixing the sauerkraut in with the onion.
Add the tomato juice and beef broth and bring to a boil. Add the pork back into the pan. Reduce the heat to medium and stir for another 2 minutes to blend all the ingredients together. Taste and adjust the seasoning if desired. If using the sour cream, stir it in just before serving.
Stew Fit for a Cowboy
The Hungarian version of stew, goulash, was invented over 1,000 years ago by cowboys looking for a way to cook the dried meat that they carried with them. But it wasn't until paprika was introduced to Hungary in the seventeenth century that Hungarian goulash took on the characteristic sweet and pungent flavor that we know today.

