Beef Stroganoff is a dish of Russian origin. It contains pieces of beef that are served in a sauce with Smetana (sour cream). Being prepared in Russia since the mid-19th century, there are now numerous variations of the dish around the world. Govjadina po-strogonovski (Russian for Beef Stroganoff), with mustard which involves lightly floured beef cubes (not strips) sautéed, sauced with prepared mustard and bouillon. The dish is then finished with a small amount of sour cream.
The main purpose of this dish was to keep a person full, for a fair part of the day. Beef alone contains a lot of calories. In addition to the fat used for preparing and other ingredients used for refining the taste, this dish will require a fair amount of exercise to burn off.
Ever since the 1950s, various ingredients were used to tamper or adapt the recipe. Originally the beef was cut in cubes, but nowadays it can be cut in stripes or other shapes. Many vegetables such as tomato or paprika are mixed too. Depending on the finesse a person is trying to achieve, dish is served with potato straws, noodles, rice, or even French fries. For those who want to make it as originally as they can, it’s not uncommon to add cognac, even though cognac is not a Russian drink.
There are many variations of Beef Stroganoff recipe, which usually differ in an ingredient or two.