Tökfőzelék is Hungarian Stewed Squash with Sour Cream and Dill. It is one of the unique tastes of Hungary. It’s pretty much the only recipe I have found that makes use of the tök, a vegetable grown all over Hungary. It is very similar in size, taste and texture to a marrow and it certainly needs some imagination to give it some appeal.
In this recipe, you grate the tök and then stew it with milk. You then thicken it with tejföl (sour cream) and finish it off with chopped dill. As far as I can tell, Hungarians either love it or hate it. I suppose it’s a bit like Brussel sprouts in the UK.
Adrienn is one of those that loves it. So much I asked a friend to send seeds sent from Hungary so I could grow it at the allotment in the UK. The variety of this summer squash is spárgatök and I have never seen it outside of Hungary. It grew very well indeed. And she was able to have a welcome taste of home.
You can either eat Tok fozelek on its own. Or you can also serve it with a pörkölt. And whilst I am not a big fan, it is a regular dish on our table.
Tökfőzelék – Hungarian Squash Stew
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp pork dripping or extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion (finely chopped)
- 1 tbsp Hungarian sweet paprika powder
- 1 kg tök (after peeling and de-seeding) (coarsely grated)
- 500 ml full fat milk
- 3 tbsp white wine or cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 250 grams tejföl (sour cream)
- 2 tbsp flour
- 3 tbsp dill (finely chopped)
- salt
Instructions
- Heat the dripping in a large pan until melted and add the onions. Sauté the onions on a low heat until soft but not browned, about 12-15 minutes.
- Add the paprika powder and cook for about a minute until the paprika powder has been absorbed into the remaining fat and the onions have taken on a deep red colour.
- Add the grated tök and cook for about 10 minutes on a medium heat, taking care not to let it burn or stick to the pan.
- Add the milk, vinegar and sugar, and well as salt to taste, mix well and bring to a boil, the reduce to a gentle simmer for 10 minutes.
- Mix the flour with the tejföl/ sour cream to form a roux and add to the tök mixture and stir thoroughly until the mixture thickens.
- Add the dill and stir through the tök, check for seasoning, and then serve.
Notes
- Tökfőzelék can be served on its own, or with a pörkölt.
4 Comments
Congratulation, Chef of the Year! ??….your Hungarian cooking skills and the photo presentations are outstanding! Just keep doing the good job! ? Wishing you good luck! In addition, you need to teach Adrienn some cooking skills to keep her busy at night, sharing the tasks, whilst you could occasionally enjoy a beer with friends at night! ? You work too hard, but it is nice to see the outcome of you work! ?✨
Don’t worry, Adrienn already works super hard! I’m lucky she lets me have so much time in the kitchen! Glad you like the photos! ?
This was such a fun little post to read and I looked up all the Hungarian words I didn’t know! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Rachel! Glad you enjoyed! ?