Hungarian Stuffed Pepper recipe
Stuffed peppers are a favorite dish in our family…This stuffed pepper recipe is so easy! This is our classic recipe.
How to cook stuffed peppers?
Thousands of satisfied Hungarian cooks agree: this recipe for stuffed paprika (in Hungarian: töltött paprika) is a hit! The stuffed pepper are the perfect meal. Yellow wax peppers are stuffed with ground pork, cooked rice and tomato sauce. Hungarians like stuffed cabbage, kohlrabi and peppers. Hungary is a big bell pepper grower. There is a yellow variety of paprika called “TV paprika”. It’s a yellow wax pepper. Follow with us the history of the stuffed pepper recipe.
The story of the stuffed pepper
Stuffed peppers are not really Hungarian. The recipe has Turkish origins and was adopted by Hungarians during the Turkish occupation in the 16th and 17th centuries. It’s no coincidence that I mentioned the Turks first, because it’s said to have arrived in Hungary via Serbian and Racz intermediaries. Many people are familiar with and enjoy the Turkish stuffed bell pepper, which is made with spicy minced meat, rice, and garlic and smells and tastes completely different from the Hungarian version. This is the essence of Hungarian stuffed peppers, that the peppers are tender and light, which is not found in any other country.
Stuffed pepper in other countries
The Serbians, Poles, and Arabs do it the same way, and don’t forget the Greeks and Spaniards, who stuff jalapeno peppers with whatever they want. Aside from us, everyone tries to bring out strong flavors in this dish by mixing the filling with exciting spices and mincing the meat from sheep, beef, and poultry, which they frequently mix. It can also be served as an appetizer or as tapas as an accompaniment to a meal. In Hungary, stuffed peppers are a one-dish dish that is neither a soup nor a vegetable and is cooked in a pot.
Interesting fact: The first described recipe for stuffed pepper
In 1892, the “Valódi magyar szakácskönyv” (True Hungarian cookbook) describes the first stuffed pepper recipe’s as follows:
“For each person, cut two large sweet peppers at the stem and remove the seeds. Boil them in boiling water to prevent them from breaking during the filling process. Take one kilo of pork meat for six people; cut it into small pieces on a board, then add 12 deka of rice porridge, a teaspoon of cracked pepper, and salt; knead well and fill the pepper halfway with it. It should not be overstuffed because the cooked rice porridge will stretch the weak pepper. Once the peppers are filled, place them in a pot, end to end in a row, and pour over them tomato juice boiled in water and strained through a sieve.”
The perfect stuffed pepper recipe
This recipe is easy to prepare and may impress your friends.There are many different ways to prepare stuffed peppers, and the following recipe is the way my family has prepared this tasty dish for generations. Hungarian yellow peppers give this dish its distinctive flavor, although any type of bell pepper can be used. Variegated peppers have thicker skin and may take longer to cook. The lemon peel is optional! We love it!
Ingredients:
- 8 yellow wax peppers
- 1 tbsp of cooking oil
- 1 white onion, diced
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup of rice
- 1 egg
- 1 lb (0,5kg) minced pork
- 2 tsp of paprika powder
- 1 tsp of black pepper
- 1 tsp of marjoram
- 5 tbsp of cooking oil
- 4 tbsp of flour
- 1 cup of tomato purée
- 1/2 cup of sugar
- 1/2 cup of chopped parsley
- lemon peel
- salt
Steps:
- Remove the peppers’ stems and all of the seeds.
- For 4-5 minutes, sauté the finely chopped onion in the oil. Cook for a few minutes after adding the garlic. Allow to cool after removing from the heat.
- Incorporate the rice, egg, minced meat, and spices.
- Fill peppers with this mixture. Keep in mind that overstuffed peppers can burst while cooking.
- Made Roux: frying flour in oil over low heat until it is light brown and smells like toast. Remove from the heat and stir in the paprika, water, and tomato purée. Season with salt, lemon peel, and sugar to taste.
- Peppers should be added to the sauce and cooked until wrinkled and tender. Then, add the parsley and cook for two to three minutes.
Watch our video about this recipe: