Hungarian goulash soup

Cut the beef into 2 cm cubes and pat dry with paper towels. Finely chop the onions and garlic.

Heat the oil in a heavy-based pot and fry the onions over medium heat until golden.

Add the beef and sear over high heat until no longer red on all sides.

Take the pot off the heat, add the paprika, cumin, garlic and tomato paste and stir quickly.

Always add paprika off the heat: over a high flame it scorches in seconds and turns bitter.

Return the pot to the heat, pour in 500 ml of hot water, season with salt, cover and braise over low heat.

While the beef braises, cut the potatoes into 2 cm cubes, the carrots into rounds and the peppers into strips.

Add the potatoes, carrots and bay leaves, pour in another 1.5 l of hot water and simmer uncovered over low heat.

Add the peppers and simmer until the potatoes and beef are tender.

Remove the bay leaves, season with salt and pepper to taste, turn off the heat and let the soup stand, covered. Enjoy!