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- April 8, 2014
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The most delicious beef rice pilaf recipe! Plov is an aromatic rice pilaf recipe that originated from Uzbekistan centuries ago but it has also become a staple dish in Russia and Eastern Europe. I even have this recipe in my new cookbook, Beyond Borscht! This traditional and classic Beef Plov recipe is so delicious, aromatic and will not disappoint! Plov is traditionally made with lamb but this beef version is also delicious! Want a chicken version? Check out my ‘Easy Chicken Plov’ recipe!
Watch My Beef Plov Video Tutorial
Watch myYouTube video recipe for step-by-step instructions for making this delicious beef rice pilaf! Want to receive new recipe emails in your inbox? Make sure to subscribe to my website emailing list and my YouTube channel and turn on notifications!
Ingredients for Beef Rice Pilaf
Here are the main ingredients you’ll need to make this delicious rice dish:
- Rice: use a long grain rice for this recipe. My favorite is basmati rice.
- Beef Tri Tip: beef roast will also work well for this recipe. If you want to be more adventurous, try making this recipe with lamb shoulder instead.
- Garlic: garlic is a must for this recipe! The more, the better!
- Onions & Carrots
- Beef Broth: for cooking the rice pilaf. You can also use plain water but the beef broth adds lots of flavor!
- Garbanzo Beans: also known as chickpeas. I used canned chickpeas for this recipe. If desired, also remove the thin peel off the beans before adding them.
- Paprika, Ginger, Cumin, Coriander, Mustard: this beef plov is super aromatic and delicious thanks to all the spices!
- Golden Raisins: this ingredient is optional but delicious! Traditional Uzbek plov is made with dried barberries but as they can be hard to find, the raisins are a good alternative.
How to Make Beef Plov
Making this beef rice pilaf is super easy and done in two steps! The first step is braising the beef. It needs to be extra tender and should fall apart easily. The second step is where you add the rice!
- First, start by preparing the meat. I recommend using a Dutch oven or deep sauté pan for braising the meat. Cube it into chunks, then brown all over and season well with salt and pepper. Remove the beef from the pan and set it aside.
- Next, sauté the carrots, onion and garlic until the mixture is tender and golden. Return the beef back into the pan.
- I season my plov with cumin, coriander, ginger, paprika and mustard to add amazing flavor and aroma. The beef needs to be braised for about an hour to an hour and a half in beef broth, until it’s tender and falls apart easily.
- Next, it’s time to add the rice and garbanzo beans. Sprinkle the rice over the beef but do not stir the ingredients together. The rice needs to cook sitting on top of the meat and carrot mixture.
- The rice should be completely covered with the beef broth by about a 1-cm. Add more broth or water as needed.
- Cook the rice covered until all the liquids have been absorbed and the rice is done, about 25 to 30 minutes. I like to leave my pan covered and resting for another 10 minutes before fluffing the rice with a fork.
Serving Beef Plov
Once the beef rice pilaf is all done, it’s time to enjoying it! Take a large spoon and mix together the beef with the rice, creating a uniform mixture. Serve it with a side of dill pickles and pickled tomatoes for a very traditional meal. I also like to have sour cream on the side. Add a bit of cracked black pepper on the top, too!
More Recipes
Enjoyed my recipe for Beef Plov? Check out some of my other Eastern European and Russian recipes you’re sure to enjoy!
- Chicken Rice Pilaf – another delicious version of plov, this one made with chicken!
- Easy Mushroom Rice – you’ll love this easy side dish with all types of meats!
- Juicy Meatballs with Mushroom Sauce – the best meatballs recipe ever, served with a creamy mushroom gravy and mashed potatoes!
- – tender chunks of pork shoulder braised in a tomato mushroom gravy. This easy dish is always a hit!
- Classic Beef Borscht – traditional beef and beet soup!
5 from 2 votes
Beef Rice Pilaf – Beef Plov Recipe (video)
20 minutes mins prep + 2 hours hrs 15 minutes mins cook
6 servings
Learn how to make delicious and aromatic beef plov or beef rice pilaf! This Russian rice dish is made with tender chunks of beef with garlic, onion and carrots.
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds stew beef, tri tip or beef roast, cut into 1-inch pieces
cooking oil, for frying
1 large onion, diced
2 to 3 medium carrots, diced
8 to 10 small cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
1 cup garbanzo beans, chickpeas, drained
4 cups beef broth
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1 tsp ground coriander
1 cup long grain basmati rice
1/2 cup golden raisins, optional
pickles or tomatoes for serving, optional
Instructions
Season the cubed beef generously with salt and pepper. Preheat large, nonstick heavy sauté pan or Dutch oven to medium/high heat and add a splash of olive oil. Once oil is hot, add the beef and fry, stirring frequently, until it develops a dark brown color. Remove the beef from the pan and set aside. Next, add the onion, carrot and garlic. Sauté until golden brown, about 5 to 6 minutes.
Return the beef to pan, add the spices and stir everything together with a spatula, cooking for 1 minute. Add the broth to the pan and bring to a simmer over high heat. Cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until meat is tender.
Once meat is tender, stir in the garbanzo beans and the white raisins, if desired. Sprinkle the uncooked rice over the meat and broth. DO NOT stir the rice and meat together, simply sprinkle the rice in an even layer over the meat, and arrange it so it is submerged under the broth. The rice should be covered with about 1-cm of liquid; add more broth or water as needed.
Cover and continue to cook over medium/low heat for 20 to 25 minutes, until the rice is done and all liquids have evaporated. Do not stir the rice while it’s cooking. Stirring is avoided to create light and airy rice that is not mashed together: don’t worry, it will not burn!
Allow the rice to stand for 10 minutes once done cooking. When ready to enjoy, fold together rice and beef and fluff the rice with a fork. Serve this beef plov with pickles or pickled tomatoes for a traditional meal.
Nutrition
Calories: 452kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 74mg | Sodium: 1258mg | Potassium: 794mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 3492IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 92mg | Iron: 4mg
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- Lunch
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36 comments
- Olga
I made this for dinner and this was the best plov ever!! This recipe is definitely a keeper. Thank you 🙂
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- tkorchemnaya
Glad to hear you liked my recipe! 🙂
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- Lesya
Made plov for the first time. It turned out delicious!!!! My hubby and guests were impressed. Even I was impressed with myself.. Directions were easy to follow and the video helped a lot.. Thanks
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- tkorchemnaya
🙂 That’s wonderful! I’m so glad you and your guests enjoyed it!
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- Viktoriya
Tanya i just made this and it turned out so so good. Thank u for ur recepies and i love that to every recepie u have a video attached it makes things for me so much easier
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- tkorchemnaya
🙂 I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it! Thank you for watching!
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- Inna
Really loved this plov..but one question..how long and what temp. Do you cook the dish for after you put the rice in..and do u put the lid on?? Mine came out a little mushy!! Lol sticky..
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- tkorchemnaya
I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe! Yes, you do want to close the pan with a lid. I cook for about 30 minutes, just until the rice is cooked all the way! The type of rice you use is also important; I use California Calrose Long-grain rice. Also, don’t stir the rice while it cooks; if all the broth evaporates, you can add 1/2 cup at a time until the rice is cooked.
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- Kristina
Hi Tanya, I love all your recipes! Thanks for sharing them! Im making plov by your recipe. Its almost done. Plov smells sooo so good! Its my first time making plov.
How long does the rice cook in the pan with all the ingredients?
- tkorchemnaya
Hi! 🙂 I hope you enjoyed my recipe! Plov is one of my favorites! You need to cook the rice just until it’s completely cooked. You can give it a taste-test and if it’s not cooked all the way through, continue cooking. If all the broth has evaporated, add about 1/2 cup at at time.
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- Lena
I am seriously in love with this plov! It’s the best of the best that I have ever tried by far!! Thank you a ton!!!
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- tkorchemnaya
I’m so glad you enjoyed my recipe! Thank you for the feedback! 🙂
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- olga
Hi Tanya,
Some plov recipes have it where the rice is sitting in hot water while the meat is cooking. Do you have to do that with this recipe?
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- tkorchemnaya
I just add my rice into the dish once the meat is cooked and tender. I don’t do anything special to the rice otherwise but if that trick works for you, let me know! 🙂
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- Nata
Do you rinse the rice in advance before you place it into pot with the meat?
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- tatyanaseverydayfood
I’ve tried it both ways, rinsing and not rinsing and I honestly don’t see a big difference 🙂
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- Juliana
The “How To” section and video are not appearing on this page. Do you have a link to your how-to video? Thank you in advance. 🙂
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- tkorchemnaya
Sorry about that! I just fixed it; enjoy 🙂 If you can’t see the videos on the recipe page, you can find the videos on my ‘video’ page, too 🙂
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- Lina
I’m about to make this but want to use white jasmine rice instead. How much broth should I use?
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- tatyanaseverydayfood
Hi! I don’t recommend jasmine rice as it can get very soft but if you’re already making it, add maybe a cup less of the broth and add more if necessary.
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- Julia
Hi Tatiana, I made this plov for our dinner last night and it was DELICIOUS! Cooked and turned out just like in your video/photo. Thank you for a great recipe! P.S I used Basmati rice as I couldn’t find the one you used and it turned out great 🙂
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- tatyanaseverydayfood
I’m so glad you enjoyed my recipe! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review 🙂
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- Lana
Hey, would parboiled rice work?
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- tatyanaseverydayfood
Yes, that’s what my mom uses all the time! 🙂
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- anna
What kind of oil did you use in the beginning to brown the meat? Will be making this recipe next week!
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- tatyanaseverydayfood
I usually use olive oil 🙂
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- Erin
I made this tonight and it was sooooo good! I am a very picky eater and I loved it! My husband loved it too. We will definitely be adding this to our dinner rotation. Thanks for the recipe!
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- tatyanaseverydayfood
Awesome! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! :))
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- Jessica
Can brown rice be used in this recipe?
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- tatyanaseverydayfood
Yes! This would be great with brown rice, too. Enjoy! 🙂
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- Jill Sebik
I made this tonight and my husband and son loved it! I messed up and put the garbanzo beans in when I simmered the beef…so it was a little overdone. I also mixed the raisins in before I added the rice and I think it would be better to just set them on top of the rice. We served it with pickled beets and sour cream. Loved all the spices!!
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- tatyanaseverydayfood
Hi Jill! I’m so glad to hear that your family loved the dish! I love serving it with pickles, too! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review!
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- Victoria
Can I make this in an instant pot?
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- tatyanaseverydayfood
Hi Victoria! Yes, you can make it an instant pot. I would cook the beef first until it’s tender, then do a second cook with the rice. Enjoy!
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- Katie
I can’t believe I’ve never reviewed this recipe, because I’ve made it many times now. I usually save it to serve for company, because it’s just one of those very special recipes that you have to introduce to people. Everyone goes crazy for it, and it’s one of my favorite recipes EVER. I usually serve it with fresh steamed and buttered green beans and sweet and sour red cabbage. I always serve sour cream with the plov. Can’t thank you enough for such an awesome recipe that I’d never even heard of before coming to your site.
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- tatyanaseverydayfood
Hi Katie! Your review made my morning! I’m so happy you’ve been loving this recipe! It’s one of my favorite recipes; actually planning to make it again this week! Thank you so much for sharing it with your family and friends! And thank you for the review!
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