Try to pass by the Lángos (pronounced 'lahng-gosh') booth at a Christmas Market and not stop and at least let all the amazing smells soak in. It's hard to resist these deep-fried flatbreads of Hungarian origin.
A Favorite Christmas Market Food
Oh the times of Christmas markets and strolling through the city center of my hometown Trier during Christmas Market time. The smells of roasted chestnuts, Glühwein (mulled wine), candied nuts and potato pancakes in the air.
And then I pass by one of the most heavenly smells there is. Deep-fried dough topped with velvety sour cream and other irresistible toppings. It's the Lángos booth!
How To Eat It
I talked to my Hungarian friend Szilvia the other day to make sure I understood the authenticity of the Hungarian dish I only know from Christmas markets. She said the most common way to eat Lángos, which she absolutely loves, is simply topped with sour cream and cheese. The cheese would be similar to a mild gouda she said.
One other way she really enjoys it is topped with salt and garlic oil. Oh heavens! I am already so excited to try this next time!
Lángos have gotten increasingly popular in Hungary's surrounding countries, and they are a sure find at most Christmas markets.
On the contrary, Szilvia also said Lángos are most popular in Hungary during summer time, when they can be enjoyed at lake bistros. What I would give to transport me to summertime at lake Balaton right now with a Lángos in hand!
Bacon And Onion Lángos
Today's Lángos are inspired by Flammkuchen, the Alsace-style flatbread. After the dough is fried, I added sour cream and sautéed bacon, onion, garlic, stirred together with some fresh, chopped parsley.
The only thing that could have made this even better is a fried egg, but that would of course steal from the authenticity and simplicity of this simple Hungarian street food.
To me, Lángos are like savory donuts and I love donuts (especially German Berliner) so so much!
They are really great at any time of day, although I would think they'd be most perfect for a casual lunch or even a fun brunch.
Tools
There is nothing too complicated about this recipe, and if you don't own a deep fryer (I don't), a pot of avocado oil will do. Avocado oil has also become my go-to oil for sautéing, but you can use any high heat oil for deep frying. A clip-on frying thermometer is all you really need.
Do yourself a favor and make a batch of these right now. You can tell Szilvia and I 'Danke' later. By the way, she does speak German and lives in Vienna now, but you could also say 'Köszönöm' in Hungarian.
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Lángos: Hungarian Fried Flatbread
Ingredients
Dough
- 500 grams all-purpose flour
- 100 milliliters milk
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 10 grams active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 Tablespoons butter room temperature
Sauce
- 250 grams sour cream
- 1 clove garlic
- salt and pepper to taste
Toppings
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 4 slices thick cut bacon I like to buy Steakhouse Bacon for this
- 1 yellow onion
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
Other
- 1 liter avocado oil or other high heat oil for deep frying
Instructions
- For the dough, combine warm milk, yeast and sugar and allow to bubble up for a few minutes. Add together all ingredients for the dough plus 6.5 ounces (about 200 ml) of luke warm water and knead for about 5 to 8 minutes until you have a smooth, elastic dough. Cover and let rise in a warm spot for 1 to 2 hours or until doubled in size.
- In the meantime, combine sour cream, minced garlic clove and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Dice the thick cut bacon into smallish pieces (trimming off excess fat), small dice the onion and finely slice the garlic for the topping. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit (about 100 degrees Celsius).
- In a medium sized pot, heat the frying oil to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (about 180 degrees Celsius). A deep frying thermometer is a must here (unless you have a deep fryer) Rub some oil on your hands and divide up the dough into 6 equal pieces and shape into ½ inch thick flatbreads (I like to first shape balls, then press them flat with the palm of my hand and fingers).
- Work in batches, frying the flatbreads one at a time for about 2 minutes on each side. Transfer to a paper towel covered plate to absorb excess oil, then keep warm in the oven.
- Melt the butter in a skillet and add the bacon to sauté for a couple of minutes until starting to crisp. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for another 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and fold in the chopped parsley.
- To serve, spread the sour cream mixture onto the fried flatbreads and top with the bacon mixture. You can also top with a little bit of shredded cheese (I like to use gouda or swiss cheese). Guten Appetit!
Jadz
Can langos be made ahead of time and freeze and reheated? Thank you.
dirndlkitchen
I don't think I would recommend freezing Langos after frying it unfortunately. Fresh is best.