👩‍🍳 Instructions:
- Sear the pork
- Heat lard/oil in a large pot.
- Brown the pork cubes in batches, then set aside.
- Onion base
- In the same pot, sauté onions until golden.
- Add garlic, then remove the pot briefly from heat and stir in paprika (so it doesn’t burn).
- Build the stew
- Return pork to the pot, add caraway seeds, tomatoes, and bell pepper.
- Season with salt, pepper, and add bay leaves.
- Pour in a little water (just enough to cover the meat halfway).
- Simmer
- Cover and cook gently for 45–60 minutes, until pork is nearly tender.
- Add sauerkraut
- Stir in sauerkraut (plus some juice if you like it tangier).
- Simmer another 30 minutes, until flavors meld and pork is fully tender.
- Finish with sour cream
- Remove bay leaves.
- Stir in sour cream just before serving (or serve it on the side for guests to mix in).
🍽 Serving:
- Best enjoyed with crusty bread or nokedli (dumplings).
- A glass of Hungarian white wine (like Furmint) pairs beautifully.
👉 Fun fact: Despite the name, Székelykáposzta is not from Transylvania’s Székely people — legend says it was named after József Székely, a 19th-century Hungarian writer who once asked for a stew of whatever was available, and the cook combined pork stew with sauerkraut!
Would you like me to also share the oven-baked version (where it’s finished in a casserole with layers of sauerkraut and pork, topped with sour cream)?