👩🍳 Instructions:
- Prepare peppers
- Wash and core the peppers, removing seeds.
- Keep them whole for stuffing.
- Stuffing mixture
- In a bowl, mix ground meat, rice, onion, garlic, egg, paprika, salt, and pepper.
- Stuff peppers with mixture (don’t overpack — rice will expand).
- If you have extra filling, roll it into small meatballs.
- Tomato sauce base
- In a pot, heat oil/lard.
- Add flour, stir until lightly golden (making a roux).
- Slowly whisk in tomato juice, bay leaf, sugar, and salt.
- Simmer for 5 minutes.
- Cook peppers
- Gently place stuffed peppers (and meatballs, if any) into sauce.
- Simmer covered over low heat for 45–60 minutes, until peppers are tender and rice is cooked.
- Serve
- Traditionally served with fresh crusty bread or boiled potatoes.
- Some families add a spoon of sour cream on top.
👉 Variations:
- In some Hungarian homes, the sauce is slightly thickened with a touch of paprika roux (rántás).
- Others prefer it lighter and brothier.
Would you like me to also give you the oven-baked version of Hungarian stuffed peppers (where they’re baked in tomato sauce instead of simmered)?