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Gánica
Gánica: northern Hungarian potato and flour crumble, fried with onion or served with jam
Up in the hills of northern Hungary, in Nógrád and Borsod, potatoes and flour were often all a farmhouse kitchen had in late winter, and gánica made a meal of them. The potatoes are mashed with flour into a heavy dough, then torn apart with two forks into small, uneven crumbs, which are tossed in a pan of onion-scented oil until golden in places. The result is soft and fluffy with crunchy edges, more like a savoury crumble than a dumpling. Eat it as a side with a mushroom stew, or sweet, spooned over with plum jam. The usual slip is under-cooking the flour, which leaves the crumbs pasty; give it the full time over the heat while you beat it. Chef's tip: tear the dough while it is still hot; once it cools it sets into a lump and will not crumble.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ lb floury potatoespeeled and cubed
- 2 tsp salt
- 9 oz plain flour
- 5 tbsp sunflower oil
- 2 onionsfinely chopped
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 6 tbsp plum jam (optional)for a sweet version
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Boil 2 ¼ lb floury potatoes in salted water with 2 tsp salt for 15–20 minutes, until soft. Drain, keeping a cup of the water, and mash smoothly in the pot.
20 minStep 2: Put the pot back over a low heat and work in 9 oz plain flour with a wooden spoon, beating for 5 minutes, until the dough is thick, cohesive and no longer tastes of raw flour. Add a splash of the potato water if it gets too dry.
5 minStep 3: Heat 5 tbsp sunflower oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat and fry 2 onions for 8 minutes, until golden.
8 minStep 4: While the dough is still hot, tear it apart with two forks into rough crumbs the size of hazelnuts, straight into the pan.
3 minStep 5: Toss over a medium heat for 5 minutes, until the crumbs are coated in oil and golden at the edges. Season with ½ tsp black pepper and taste for salt.
5 minStep 6: Serve hot as a side, or skip the pepper and spoon over 6 tbsp plum jam for a sweet version.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 450 kcal
- Protein
- 9 g
- Carbs
- 76 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does gánica take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- What can I use instead of floury potatoes?
- Sweet potato, same weight (sweeter, cooks a little faster).
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
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