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Tokány
Tokány: Transylvanian-Hungarian beef strips stewed with onion, black pepper and white wine
Among the Hungarian communities of Transylvania, especially the Székely towns of Harghita and Covasna, tokány is the stew that is not a gulyás: the meat is cut into finger-long strips rather than cubes, and it is seasoned with black pepper and marjoram and a splash of wine instead of a red cloud of paprika. The result is a pale, savoury, peppery sauce that clings to tender ribbons of beef. Dry white wine is traditional; for an alcohol-free pot use the same amount of beef stock with 1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar. Serve it with boiled rice, mashed potato or a heap of pickled cucumbers. The usual slip is cutting the strips with the grain, so they cook up stringy; slice across it. Chef's tip: let the onions melt slowly for a full 15 minutes before the meat goes in; they dissolve into the sauce and thicken it without any flour.
- Total time
- 95 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the stew
- 1 ¾ lb beef chuck or topsidecut across the grain into strips 5 cm × 1 cm
- 3 tbsp sunflower oil
- 3 onionsfinely chopped
- 3 cloves garlicsliced
- 1 ½ tsp black peppercoarsely ground
- 1 ½ tsp dried marjoram
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 ¼ cups beef stock
- 1 bay leaf
- 7 oz button mushroomssliced
- ⅓ oz flat-leaf parsley (optional)chopped
To serve
- 9 oz long-grain rice (optional)cooked as you like, to serve
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Heat the 3 tbsp sunflower oil in a heavy casserole over a low-medium heat and cook the 3 onions gently for 15 minutes, stirring now and then, until very soft and pale gold.
15 minStep 2: Raise the heat to high, add the 1 ¾ lb beef chuck or topside and stir-fry for 5 minutes, until the strips lose their red colour all over and any liquid has mostly evaporated.
5 minStep 3: Add the 3 cloves garlic, 1 ½ tsp black pepper, 1 ½ tsp dried marjoram, 1 ½ tsp salt and 1 tbsp tomato purée and stir for 1 minute, until fragrant.
1 minStep 4: Pour in the ¾ cup dry white wine (or beef stock plus 1 tbsp white wine vinegar) and bubble for 2 minutes, scraping the base, then add the 1 ¼ cups beef stock and 1 bay leaf.
3 minStep 5: Cover and simmer gently for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding a splash of water if it gets dry.
45 minStep 6: Meanwhile cook the 9 oz long-grain rice if serving it.
15 minStep 7: Add the 7 oz button mushrooms and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes more, until the beef is tender enough to cut with a spoon and the sauce has thickened and turned glossy. Check a strip: it should give without chewing. Remove the bay leaf.
15 minStep 8: Taste for salt and pepper, scatter with ⅓ oz flat-leaf parsley and serve with the rice.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 440 kcal
- Protein
- 44 g
- Carbs
- 8 g
- Fat
- 22 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does tokány take?
- About 95 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 75 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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