Rice Pilaf Recipe - Also known as beef plov or Uzbek plov, this one-pot recipe is made with tender beef, carrots, onions, and rice simmered in a broth. Seasoned with earthy, and slightly floral spices like cumin and saffron, this flavorful dish is nothing short of amazing!
When YOU make this Rice Pilaf Recipe please tag us @munchkintimeblog on Instagram, we would LOVE to see your creation!
This rice pilaf recipe brings me all the comforts of growing up in my home country of Kazakhstan and I’m excited you’ll be bringing a piece of my heart into your home.
There are many versions of pilaf rice dishes out there. Everything from the Ukrainian version of plov to Instant Pot beef plov to antelope backstrap plov and everything in between.
Out of all of them, my favorite has to be this one. The tried and true Uzbek plov that I grew up eating! It makes me so happy that my family loves it and looks forward to eating it just as much as I do!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy - Made with just 15 minutes of prep time. There are a few different steps to making this recipe, but none of it is hard. It’s all about building layers of flavor and then once combined, giving it a chance to cook to perfection.
- Hearty - Complete with protein, carbs, and veggies! All you need is a simple side salad to round out your meal, but that’s optional.
- Simple ingredients - Beef, carrots, spices, and aromatics are all you need for this dish to come together. Most of it you may already have on hand.
Ingredients for Beef Rice Pilaf
- Beef sirloin: Cut the beef into 1-inch cubes. If you find high-quality stew meat that already comes cubed, go ahead and use that. I use beef round top from Costco, but you can use beef chuck or beef sirloin.
- Onions: Sliced onions are cooked just after the beef. Not only do the onions add flavor, but they also get extra flavor from the meat!
- Medium carrots: Peeled and cut julienned. If you don’t have a julienne peeler, use a sharp knife to cut into fine little match sticks. There are some helpful tips in this carrot salad recipe.
- Basmati rice: Washed and drained.
- Oil: I use extra virgin olive oil. It’s either that or avocado oil that I usually keep on hand. Either will work.
- Seasonings: Salt, black pepper, cumin, and saffron. Saffron is not cheap, but it is worth it!
- Whole garlic bulb: This gives the recipe for rice pilaf an infusion of garlic flavor without having to dish, mince, or chop any garlic. Just cut the top off to expose the cloves and that’s it!
- Water: To braise the meat and cook the rice!
How to this Make Homemade Rice Pilaf Recipe
Before you begin, it’s helpful to make sure to have all your ingredients prepped and ready to go. This means cutting your beef into cubes, slicing the onions, and julienning the carrots.
Step 1: Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat until it is very hot. Then, cook the cubed steak (you want to hear that sizzle!) for about 7-10 minutes until each piece is brown on all sides. Stir occasionally.
Step 2: Add the onions, cumin, salt, and pepper. Stir and cook until the onions are cooked through. This is about another 10 minutes.
Step 3: Toss in the carrots, and sprinkle in the cumin and saffron. Mix to combine and cook until carrots are tender. Since they’re sliced thinly, this shouldn’t take any more than 7 minutes.
Step 4: Pour in the water and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, cover the Dutch oven with a lid and turn the heat to low. Let that simmer for 40 minutes until the meat is tender.
Step 5: Now that your meat is tenderized and your house is smelling incredible, add the rice and a whole head of garlic and bring it to a boil. Salt and pepper to taste then simmer, covered, once again on low until the rice is cooked through and has absorbed the water.
Step 6: Open the lid, fluff up the rice, and stir everything. Serve warm and enjoy with a Greek salad, baked eggplant, or a cucumber tomato salad.
Recipe Tips
- Don’t skip searing the meat. Browning the outside gives it a ton of extra flavor. The searing under high heat also locks in the moisture and keeps it from becoming dry.
- Be sure to rinse your rice. You don’t want it to be sticky or mushy!
- If you substitute the Basmati rice, you can use long grain white rice or medium grain. I don’t recommend brown rice as it takes longer to cook and then not only are you accounting for a longer cooking time, but also an increase in liquid.
- Use a different meat. If you want to make different versions of this recipe, swap the beef with chicken, turkey, lamb, or pork!
FAQs
Sure you can! It makes a big batch, so if you’re bringing it to a potluck or you’re making it early so you don’t have to spend more time in the kitchen later, then make it ahead and reheat it before serving.
It does! Once cooled, transfer it to a freezer-safe container and keep frozen for up to 1 month. Thaw in the fridge overnight.
You can reheat it quickly and easily in the microwave. However, if it’s a big batch you’re reheating, then use the oven or back in the Dutch oven on the stove.
📖 Recipe
One Pot Meal - Beef Rice Pilaf Recipe (Uzbek Plov)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lb beef sirloin
- 2 medium onions sliced
- 5 medium carrots peeled & julienned
- 2 ½ cup Basmati rice washed
- ½ cup oil olive or avocado oil or butter
- 2 teaspoon kosher salt more if needed
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin divided
- ½ teaspoon saffron
- 1 whole garlic top cut off
- black pepper to taste
- 5 cups water
Instructions
- Get all of the ingredients ready by cutting 2 lb beef into 1 inch cubes, slicing 2 onions and julienning 5 carrots.
- Pour ½ cup olive oil into your dutch oven and heat on medium/high heat until it is super hot. Carefully add 2lb cubed steak, and cook until browned about 7-10 minutes, stirring few times. Now, add 2 sliced onions, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, 2 teaspoons kosher salt and black pepper to taste. Stir and cook on medium/high, until onion is cooked thru about 10 minutes.
- Add 5 julienned carrots, ½ teaspoon ground cumin and ½ teaspoon saffron. Mix and cook until carrots are cooked thru about 5 -7 minutes, stirring few times.
- Pour 5 cups of water, bring it to a boil, cover and simmer on low for about 4o minutes or until meat is tender. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, the broth should be slightly salty.
- Then add 2 ½ rice and 1 whole garlic, do NOT stir (the meat mixture should be on the bottom and the rice on top). Bring it to a boil. Cover and simmer on low until rice is cooked thru, about 30 minutes. Mix rice with meat until everything is combined, serve warm with Greek Salad or Cucumber Salad. Grab a fork and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Q. Did you like this Rice Pilaf Recipe?
Let me know in the comments below, I would love to hear from you!
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Have a wonderful day!
Sam
As soon as I can get my hands on some good quality saffron this will be made. Thank you for sharing.
Curtis Miller
Wonderful, tasty recipe. Easy to prepare. I used minced garlic, and Jasmine rice. Placed in the oven for 50 minutes when the rice was added. Made a nice crust on top. I served it as a covered dish at a community dinner. Delicious!!!
Ross Basch
Certainly not spicy. It would be better with some cumen and pepper.
Alisa Ewert
So close to indain dish Biryani, Once i tried and it was really spicy
Munchkin Time
I have never tried an Indian dish Biryani, but this Rice Pilaf Recipe should not be spicy unless you add a lot of black ground pepper to make it spicy.