Heat the oil in a medium-size pot. Stir in the flour. With a wooden spoon or a whisk, continue to stir flour over low heat until flour is golden in color. Do not burn it!
Mix in paprika, cayenne pepper, and caraway seeds, if using. Slowly add water or broth continuing to stir as it thickens.
Season the soup with Vegeta or bouillon if you’re cooking with water. Simmer the soup, stirring frequently, for 15-20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve soup in bowls topped with croutons and sour cream if you’d like. They lift this soup from “poor man’s” level to fancy.
Notes
*Vegeta – a Croatian condiment (much like bouillon in powder form) which is a mixture of spices and various dry vegetables. We like to season everything with Vegeta and use it instead of salt.