Red pepper goulash

A hearty warming meal from the Dirty Vegan recipe book by Matt Pritchard. This was one of the first recipes Lizzie made and she loved it.

If you’re looking for somewhere to start with going meat-light or meat-free, this is a fantastic first recipe. Especially if you’re a proper meat-eater! The jackfruit gives it a meat-like texture and it’s become so much more accessible – most supermarkets sell it now.

Red Pepper Goulash Recipe

Serves 3-4

Prep: 10 minutes   Cook: 45–50 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 red peppers, deseeded and sliced
• 4 tablespoons sunflower or vegetable oil
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons tomato purée
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 400g can chopped tomatoes
• 400g can chickpeas
• 400ml vegetable stock
• small pinch of cayenne pepper, plus extra to taste
• 400g can young jackfruit, cut into chunks
• 1 tablespoon plain flour
• 2 tablespoons sweet paprika (don’t use smoked – it will dominate the flavour of the dish)
• lemon juice, to taste
• salt and pepper

To serve

• small bunch of dill, chopped, to garnish
• the carb of your choice

Method

1. Gently cook the onion and peppers in half the oil, over medium-low heat, for 15 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic, tomato purée, caraway and oregano to the pan and cook for 2 minutes, then tip in in the tomato, drained chickpeas and stock. Season with salt and pepper and a small pinch of cayenne for warmth. Bring to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Add a dash more water if the mixture looks as though it is drying out or thickening too much.
2. Meanwhile, season the jackfruit chunks with salt and pepper. Mix the flour and paprika in a shallow bowl, coat the jackfruit chunks and shake away excess flour.
3. Heat the remaining oil in a frying pan. Add the coated jackfruit and fry over medium–high heat until nicely browned on all sides. Add to the goulash with any of the remaining flour and paprika mix. The goulash should still have 15–20 minutes left to cook, so let it simmer away while you relax for a while.
4. When the goulash is done, taste and add salt, pepper or cayenne, and add a squeeze or 2 of lemon to your taste. Garnish with the dill and serve with your carb of choice.

Want to try the rest of the recipes in the book? It’s available from Amazon and all good bookstores.

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