Finomfőzelék is a delicious Hungarian vegetable stew of peas and carrots in a creamy white sauce. The name literally means “tasty vegetable stew”. The most common vegetables are peas and carrots, with some kohlrabi for extra body. But you can add in any vegetable you want. It’s a great recipe for those frozen bags of mixed veg in the supermarket too.
What Is Finomfőzelék?
Finomfőzelék is part of the főzelék family of dishes unique to Hungary and a cornerstone of Hungarian food. It’s not quite a side dish and not quite a soup. Hungarians often eat it as a main dish, sometimes topped with a fried egg, sausage (virsli), or a Hungarian meatball (fasírt) to add some protein. But they also just eat it on its own.
Kids’ Favourite
It’s thick, creamy, and mild in flavor. Kids usually love it, and so it’s a good way of getting them to eat some vegetables. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if the name of the dish was partly to hide from the kids that it is full of vegetables! Perhaps for this reason, it is one of the most common school canteen dishes in Hungary. Simple, warm, and comforting.
The sauce is just a white sauce. You just make a simple roux of fat and flour. Then thicken it with milk. This sauce is then added to the cooked vegetables. You can make the white sauce while the veg is cooking so it is very quick to make.
🇭🇺 Jó étvágyat!
Also Read
For more details on Hungarian cooking, take a look at the following articles:
Főzelék – The Hungarian Vegetable Stew – an overview of the Hungarian Főzelék style of vegetable stews.
Hungarian Food – the Ultimate Guide – a comprehensive overview of everything about Hungarian food.
Or if you are looking for more classic Hungarian dishes then, you might be interested in these posts:
- Zöldborsófőzelék – Hungarian Pea Stew
- Tökfőzelék – Hungarian stewed squash
- Csikóstokány – Hungarian Cowboy Stew with pork and sour cream.
- Töltött Paprika – Hungarian stuffed peppers
Or take a look at my full collection of Hungarian recipes for more Hungarian flavours.
Finomfőzelék
Equipment
- 2 Saucepans
- Spatula
- Whisk
Ingredients
- 3 tbsps zsír or butter
- 250 grams peas (fresh or frozen)
- 250 grams carrots (diced)
- 100 grams kohlrabi (diced)
- 2 heaped tbsps plain flour
- 200 ml milk
- salt
Instructions
- Melt 1 tbsp of zsír (or butter) in a saucepan and add the carrots and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the peas, kohlrabi and a good pinch of salt and cook in the fat for a few minutes.
- Add just enough water to cover the vegetables and simmer for 10 minutes or until soft.
- In a separate pan, melt the remaining zsír (or butter) and add in the flour, and stir continuously until a roux forms. Cook the roux gently for a minute or two, then add the milk a little at a time. Stir continuously until all the milk is added, then cook for a few minutes until the sauce thickens.
- Add the sauce to the pan with the vegetables, stir until well combined. Check the seasoning then serve.
