Hungarian Tarhonyás Hús – Meat Stew with Toasted Egg Barley

Hungarian Tarhonyás Hús – toasted egg barley cooked with tender chicken and paprika, served simply with pickles, just like at home. 🇭🇺❤️

There are some Hungarian dishes that instantly take you back in time, and tarhonyás hús is definitely one of them.

This is a true retro Hungarian canteen classic – the kind of simple, hearty meal many of us remember from school cafeterias, workplace canteens and our grandmothers’ kitchens. And if you really want the full nostalgic Hungarian menza experience, serve it after a bowl of Hungarian tomato soup with alphabet pasta. 🇭🇺

Tarhonyás hús is made by combining a simple paprika-based Hungarian meat stew with toasted tarhonya, a traditional Hungarian egg pasta sometimes called Hungarian egg barley.

It’s inexpensive, filling, comforting and made from very basic ingredients – exactly the kind of food I love sharing here.

What Is Tarhonya?

If you didn’t grow up in Hungary, tarhonya might be new to you.

Despite sometimes being called “egg barley,” it isn't actually barley. Tarhonya is a tiny Hungarian egg pasta, traditionally made from flour and eggs. The little pieces are dried and then toasted before cooking, which gives them a wonderful nutty flavor.

You can find packaged tarhonya in Hungarian and Eastern European grocery stores.

And if you can't find it? Don't panic.

Here in Montreal, real Hungarian tarhonya isn't always easy for me to find either. I sometimes use pearl couscous as a substitute. It isn't exactly the same, of course, but for an everyday family dinner it works surprisingly well with the rich paprika stew.

What Meat Can You Use?

Traditionally, tarhonyás hús can be prepared with different kinds of meat.

For this version, I used chicken, but you can use whichever meat you and your family prefer. The important part is to adjust the cooking time so that your meat becomes tender without overcooking.

Chicken cooks much faster than tougher cuts of meat, so keep an eye on it while the stew is simmering.

Ingredients

For the Hungarian Meat Stew

• 600 g (about 1.3 lb) meat, cut into bite-sized cubes – I used chicken

• 2 medium onions, finely chopped

• 1 clove garlic, minced

• 1 generous tablespoon oil or cooking fat

• 1 heaping tablespoon Hungarian sweet paprika

• 1 ½ teaspoons salt

• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

• Ground caraway seed, to taste

• 70 g (2.5 oz) tomato paste

• Water, as needed

For the Tarhonya

• 450 g (1 lb) tarhonya

• 1 tablespoon oil or cooking fat

• 1 level teaspoon salt

• Water, as needed

How to Make Tarhonyás Hús

1. Start the pörkölt

Heat the oil or cooking fat in a large pot over medium heat.

Add the finely chopped onions and cook until softened and lightly golden. Add the garlic and cook briefly.

Stir in the tomato paste and Hungarian paprika.

Add the cubed meat, salt, black pepper and ground caraway.

Cook the meat while stirring until it changes color and begins to brown slightly.

Don't use extremely high heat, but you do want to hear that little sizzle – after all, we're making pörkölt! 🇭🇺

2. Add the water

Pour in enough water to generously cover the meat.

Bring it to a gentle simmer, cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the meat is tender.

If you're using chicken, watch it carefully because it can cook relatively quickly. Other meats may require considerably more time.

3. Start the tarhonya

When the meat is getting close to tender, begin preparing the tarhonya.

Heat the oil or cooking fat in another pot.

Add the dry tarhonya and toast it over medium heat, stirring constantly.

Don't skip this step!

Toasting the tarhonya is what gives this dish its characteristic flavor. Keep stirring until the little pieces develop a beautiful golden-brown color.

4. Cook the tarhonya

Pour in enough water to cover the tarhonya by approximately 2–3 cm (about 1 inch).

Add the salt and stir.

Cover and cook, stirring regularly, until most of the water has been absorbed.

5. Combine everything

Remove the tarhonya from the heat and pour the finished pörkölt – meat, sauce and all – into the pot.

Mix everything together thoroughly so that the tarhonya is coated in that beautiful paprika sauce.

Return the pot to low heat and cook for approximately 5 more minutes, stirring frequently.

6. Let it rest

Turn off the heat, cover the pot and let the tarhonyás hús rest for 10–15 minutes.

This part is important.

While it rests, the tarhonya continues absorbing all that flavorful pörkölt sauce.

Give everything one final stir before serving.

What to Serve with Tarhonyás Hús

For me, this dish needs something sour and crunchy on the side.

Try it with:

• Hungarian pickles

• Pickled cucumbers

• Csalamádé

• Pickled peppers

• Any homemade fermented or pickled vegetables you love

And for the complete Hungarian retro canteen experience?

Start the meal with paradicsomleves betűtésztával – Hungarian tomato soup with alphabet pasta.

If you know, you know. 😃🇭🇺

A Simple Hungarian Family Dinner

This isn't fancy food.

And that's exactly why I love it.

Tarhonyás hús represents the kind of Hungarian cooking I grew up with: simple ingredients, plenty of paprika, one big pot and enough food to feed the family.

It's also a wonderful example of how Hungarian home cooking can turn inexpensive everyday ingredients into something incredibly comforting.

My version uses chicken and oil, because that's how I prefer to cook it. Hungarian recipes often change slightly from family to family – and that's part of what makes traditional home cooking so interesting.

If your grandmother made tarhonyás hús differently, I would love to hear how she made hers.

Because if there's one thing I've learned from sharing Hungarian food online, it's that every Hungarian grandmother had the only correct recipe. 😂🇭🇺

More Hungarian Comfort Food to Try 🇭🇺

If you loved this Tarhonyás Hús, there are plenty more Hungarian classics waiting for you in my kitchen.

For another simple, budget-friendly family dinner, try my Hungarian Paprikás Krumpli – one of those meals I grew up eating when we needed something inexpensive, filling and delicious.

If you're in the mood for something cozy, take a look through my growing collection of Hungarian Soups and traditional recipes. And don't forget the sweet side of Hungarian cooking – from almás pite and rétes to the nostalgic desserts many of us grew up eating.

I’m constantly adding the recipes I actually cook for my family – not restaurant-style Hungarian food, but the everyday meals, soups, pastries and comfort foods that remind me of home.

Come Cook With Me!

Want to see what’s cooking before the recipes make it to the blog? Come join me on social media, where things are usually a little less organized, a lot more fun, and occasionally controversial enough to summon the Hungarian food police. 😂🇭🇺

Follow From My Hungarian Kitchen on Instagram for my latest cooking videos and everyday kitchen moments, find me on TikTok for quick recipes and Hungarian food debates, save your favourite recipes on Pinterest, and subscribe on YouTube so you don't miss the next recipe.

And if you make this Tarhonyás Hús, please tell me in the comments: Did you grow up eating it? And what did your family serve with it?

I have a feeling there may be more than one “correct” answer. 😃

Until next time, happy cooking from my Hungarian kitchen to yours. ❤️🇭🇺

Jó étvágyat!

— AnitaFrom My Hungarian Kitchen