Kare Pan With Goulash and Sourdough Dough

This recipe is the result of a few coincidences:

First of all was the fact, that I had leftover goulash from the day before.

Then I knew, that I wanted to bake bread.

And third: I just read about Karepan.

So I thought about it a bit like this: "Oh I have goulash, which is a bit like curry. And I also have a dough which will make a bread, that is really tasty with goulash. Maybe I can bring it all together and make something like a Kare Pan..."

So this is the end result of this thinking, which I really like. It has a really good flavor and I love the texture of the bread and goulash combined. You can even make them and bake them in the oven or freeze them and fry them whenever you like. The full recipe takes a lot of time, especially if you don't have a sourdough starter at home.

Disclaimer: I will link all the recipes, I used as base for this recipe to the steps, even though all of them are German recipes, which I changed the way I needed them.

For the goulash:

500g Beef - cut into an inch long cubes (don't trim the fat, it gives everything flavour)

300g Onions - cut into slices (if you want to you can also use leek)

1 carrot

1 half of a kohlrabi

1 can of peeled and cut tomatoes

about half a cup of red cooking wine (I really like the flavour it brings, but you don't have to use it.)

Paprika powder

Salt

Pepper

Red Chili (if you want a spicy goulash)

About 2 Tablespoons of butter

For the bread:

200g Rye flour (I am using a 1:1 mixture of whole grain flour and usual rye flour)

200g all purpose wheat flour

1 Pkg. instant yeast

8g salt

300g warm water

100g sourdough starter (or if you don't have that: 4 to 5 day time, 400 to 500 g Rye flour, water)

Semolina

For the frying:

oil for deep frying

Garlic

Salt

Butter or other vegetable oil

If you already have a starter - great! Then you can go right ahead to the next step. (Make sure that you have at least 100g for the bread dough!)

But if you are one of the poor persons who don't have a little pet sourdough starter living in their freezer, here comes the way to good bread: Take big clean container. Mix in this container 100g warm water and 100g rye flour together. Let it rest in a warm and happy place (It should have a constant temperature of about 27 to 30°C) for 24 hours. Take it out and stir in another 100g of water and 100g flour. Let it rest again and repeat this procedure over the next few days. At the fourth or fifth day it should smell like green apples. Now your starter is ready for the next steps. You can put it into the freezer for a one or two days or use it now.

Here a few tips:

• Use an organic flour (it has more of the many good yeasts and lactat-producing organisms we want in our sourdough)
• Work with really clean utensils and make sure, that the rand of your bowl stays clean - no chance for mold! (If it starts to get black spots or mold, DO NOT USE IT - put it away and start again!!)
• Make sure to use a warm place, with the right constant temperature - experiment where you want to put it
• Read other peoples instructions - the way I am using is one of many, there are a lot of other people out there who are doing it in other (maybe better) ways. Research them before you start.
• Use ONE instruction - don't mix the methods of different people when you are just starting.
• Have fun :)

My sourdough recipe comes from this website: SOURDOUGH-STARTER

I love to make Goulash - it is really easy and after the first half an hour, you can just let it cook without doing anything. So here is how I like to make it: Put the butter, the onions and the beef into a big pot and mix it, before you start to heat it. Heat it up to medium heat until the butter has melted. Then turn it down to the lowest setting. Cut your carrot and kohlrabi and add them into the pot. Give it a good mix and add the paprika powder, chili, salt and pepper. And now you can just wait. Give it a stir every half an hour - more to look after it, than anything else.

Add the canned tomatoes and the wine (if you want to) after two to three hours and let it cook for another one or two hours. In the end the meat should be really tender and you should not be able to find the onions, as they have now become sauce. Taste it and add any other spice you want to have in this. Take it from the heat and let it rest. If you want to, you can eat this right away. Or you wait a night before warming it up again to let it get even better.

The original recipe for my goulash was this one: GOULASH-RECIPE

This bread recipe was the base for my dough: BREADDOUGH

I changed a few things: I used instant yeast to get a fluffier dough and more water. And I used semolina to roll out the dough, so I had an crispier exterior. And even though I made only half of the original amount, it was still way to much, so I just baked the rest. I have to say, that a lot of the goulash was already eaten, so I am including the full amount. It should be enough dough to make Kare Pans with all goulash you made.

For the dough: Mix all ingredients except the sourdough starter in a bowl until they are fully combined. You can use any mixing tool you like although I would not recommend a whisk. Then you can add the starter and knead it for about five minutes. The dough should be wet and relatively sticky. Let it proof at a warm place for about an hour.

Take a handful of dough onto your working space (use a lot of semola!) and roll or press it out - it should be about half an centimeter thick. Put the piece onto your hand and place on tablespoon of filling at the center. Close it by folding it in half, so you have an almost semicircular shape on your hand. Be careful - the dough can not be stretched, you have to put it into place by pressing it where you want to have it! After closing it, roll it in your hand and press it together. Use as much semola as you want!!

Now put it directly into the hot oil or let it rest onto a bed of semola on baking tray, where it can wait for the next step.

To fry your "Kare Pans" heat up the oil to a medium heat - it should be about 170°C hot. Place your Pans into the oil and let them fry for about ten minutes. Turn them as needed.

Let them rest on a paper towel and use the time to make a simple garlic butter: Let about two table spoons of butter melt in a pan, add finely chopped garlic and take it from heat immediately. Add half a teaspoon of salt and put a bit of the butter onto each Kare Pan.

Enjoy your meal :)