Hungarian Tripe Paprikash – Pacal is a very traditional dish in Hungary, many consider it a national treasure.
I will share with you this mouth-watering, peasant recipe that has been enjoyed by many generation of Hungarians and served by rustic and gourmet restaurants countywide, as it is the very best of the Hungarian culinary world.
Preparing this dish is very simple, however if you miss the first step, you will end up with something that is not very appetizing or aromatic. So please follow each step carefully. The most important part is to wash and slice the tripe into about 1/2 x 1 inch strips as seen on the video, prepared by me. These days it’s easy to find good quality, well cleaned tripe in mostly every store, so don’t worry about searching for this hidden gem.
So let me share with you another Secret of Hungarian Cooking™© that will make you fall in love with the Flavours of Hungary™©. These secrets are only shared by me through the pages of my cookbooks and my YouTube Channel.
Remember to 1st cook the tripe the following way
Ingredients for 1st Cooking Step
2 cups (about 1 lb) tripe, cut into strips
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp of ground black pepper
1 tsp chipotle pepper flakes (you may use chilli pepper flakes)
2 tbsp chipotle oil (or olive oil)
5 cups of water
* I like to use chipotle pepper flakes as they are smokie and hardy. You will enjoy it, but be careful it is very spicy.
Cook for an hour or until tripe is almost done. It needs to be semi-soft. Remove from heat and put aside to prepare the next step.
Ingredients for the next step
22 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp of lard (this is probably the only dishes that I still add lard to. Adding some goose or duck lard makes it more authentic)
(however it is optional, you may leave it out)
2 large onions, chopped
1/2 jalapeno pepper, sliced
1/2 cup sliced coloured bell peppers (I like to use baby bell peppers)
2 large tomatoes, sliced
* I messed up in the video. I don’t know how, but we didn’t notice until we were cutting the video that I called the lovely, ripe tomatoes in the video “Huge Onions”. 
Well, what can I say, I’m only human.
So, saute the onion, tomatoes, peppers in the olive oil and lard. Before all the Hungarians are up in arms again, YES I like to use olive oil, grape seed oil and chipotle oil in my dishes, as it is not good for our bodies to use lard in all of these lovely Hungarian dishes any longer. This is the probably the only dish I add a little lard to, which I saved when I roasted a goose for a family feast.
So, get back to our recipe, saute the onion, tomatoes and peppers for a few minutes (about 5), follow the steps on the video and cook the tripe paprikash for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile peel, wash and cube the potatoes. Place them in salted water and cook them until fork tender. Drain, add a little olive oil, stir carefully and put aside until serving.
Serve Tripe Paprikash on top of these boiled potatoes and with you favourite pickled salads. This time I am serving it with green pickled tomatoes. Enjoy and come back for more.
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