![\"gulyasgochujangpj\"](\"http:\/\/www.withaglass.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/gulyasgochujangpj.jpg\")
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Hungarians and Koreans have at least one thing in common: a huge passion for chili pepper. In spite of such an important link I don’t think I have ever heard of Hungarian-Korean fusions dishes. I don’t know how and why I had a crazy idea to\u00a0incorporate gochujang (Korean chili paste) into the Hungarian Sz\u00e9kely Guly\u00e0s<\/a>, but I have greatly enjoyed this amusing experiment and thought I would share my impressions with you.<\/p>\n Most of you have probably heard about the famous Hungarian Guly\u00e0s. Sz\u00e9kely Guly\u00e0s (pronounced \u201csee-cay goo-yash\u201d)\u00a0looks and tastes different,\u00a0mainly because it includes sauerkraut (fermented cabbage). I discovered it last year thanks to Zsuzsa\u00a0( from\u00a0Zsuzsa is in the kitchen<\/a>). I wrote about it last year (here<\/a>) and have prepared it many times without feeling any need of alterations.\u00a0The origins of the name are not clear. Some say it comes from an ethnic group called \u201cSz\u00e9kely\u201d, who still lives in the present Romania, others \u2013 like K\u00e0roly Gundel, a famous Hungarian cook – say it was named after a writer Jozsef Sz\u00e9kely, whom Gundel calls the \u201cgodfather\u201d of this stew.\u00a0Whatever the origins, Sz\u00e9kely Guly\u00e0s is worth discovering. It is quick, easy, can be made in advance and even though it’s hearty, it has few calories and almost no fat (if you use lean meat). In short, it’s a perfect one-pot meal for cold winter days and the same could be said about its Koreanised version.<\/p>\n Gochujang, one of the staples of the Korean cuisine, is a sticky hot paste based on chili and soy beans. It has different levels of hotness, but gets never as strong as, say Thai curry paste. Here gochujang, used instead of dried Hungarian paprika, mellowed the flavours and brought a different complexity to the final result. Combining gochujang with European saurekraut seemed weird at first, but on the other hand, gochujang is often added to warm dishes containing kimchi (Korean fermented cabbage), so finally the satisfying result of my experiment shouldn’t come as such a big surprise. As a final Korean touch, \u00a0I have added some toasted sesame seeds and sprinkled the dish with Korean chili pepper. I hope that my Hungarian friends\u00a0will not be shocked by these bold alterations.<\/p>\n If you don’t feel like “Koreanising” this Hungarian dish, you might want to try the “basic” Sz\u00e9kely Guly\u00e0s<\/a>:<\/p>\n
![\"szekely4p\"](\"http:\/\/www.withaglass.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/szekely4p.png\")
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