About this Dish
Poland's national dish — a hunter's stew of sauerkraut, fresh cabbage, various meats and sausages, mushrooms and tomato, slow-cooked for days. The longer it cooks and the more times it is reheated, the better it tastes. Every Polish family has their own recipe. Called the Polish national stew, bigos is inseparable from Polish identity.
IngredientsServes 6
🥬Sauerkraut, 500g rinsed and roughly chopped
🥗Fresh white cabbage, 400g shredded
🌭Kielbasa (Polish smoked sausage), 300g sliced into rounds
🥩Pork shoulder or leftover roast pork, 300g cut into chunks
🥓Smoked bacon lardons, 150g
🍄Dried porcini mushrooms, 30g soaked in 300ml warm water for 30 minutes
🍅Tomato purée, 3 tablespoons
🍷Dry red wine, 150ml
🧅Large onion, 1 finely diced
🌿Bay leaves 3, allspice berries 5, black pepper and salt to taste
Method
1
Drain the soaked porcini mushrooms, reserving the soaking liquid, then roughly chop the mushrooms. Strain the liquid through a fine sieve or cloth to remove any grit, and set aside — this is liquid gold for your bigos.2
In a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, fry the bacon lardons over medium heat until the fat renders and they begin to crisp. Add the diced onion and cook gently for about 8 minutes until soft and golden.3
Add the kielbasa slices and pork chunks to the pot and brown them lightly on all sides. Stir in the tomato purée and cook for 2 minutes, letting it caramelise slightly against the bottom of the pot.4
Add the sauerkraut, fresh cabbage, chopped porcini mushrooms, reserved mushroom liquid, red wine, bay leaves and allspice berries. Stir everything together well, then add just enough water to barely cover the contents.5
Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to a low simmer, cover with a lid slightly ajar, and cook for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally. The stew should be thick and fragrant — if it looks too watery, remove the lid for the last 30 minutes.6
Season generously with salt and black pepper, then remove from the heat and allow to cool completely. Refrigerate overnight, or ideally for two to three days, reheating each day — bigos genuinely tastes better every time you warm it up.7
Serve piping hot with thick slices of dark rye bread or alongside boiled potatoes. Any leftovers can be frozen, and bigos is traditionally said to be at its very best on the third or fourth day.User Reviews
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