Kazakh Beef Plov (Pilaf)

This Kazakh Beef Plov is a hearty dish made of meat, rice, onion, carrots and spices. It’s one of those meals that we regularly make at our house and it doesn’t become old.

Plov (English Pilaf) is one of those iconic central Asian dishes that is also a big part of the Russian cuisine nowadays. It is not very clear where the dish was first created, but most agree that it was somewhere in central Asia, India, or Persia and then it spread from there.

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How to Make Plov

This recipe for Kazakh Beef Plov comes from my mom and I can honestly say I haven’t tasted better, except for those versions of Plov that are cooked on an open fire (there is something about that smoky flavor…). I’m not sure what to call this dish, (Russian Plov? Beef Plov? Pilaf?) but since we come from Kazakhstan and that is where I ate this dish first, this is going to be Kazakh Plov. I hope you like it as much as we do.

Equipment

This recipe requires a Kazan, or a dutch oven for cooking. A Kazan is like a cast iron wok pan or a dutch oven. It is used a lot in central Asian cooking. The one I have, I got from an auntie for my wedding and that has been one of the best gifts ever. Mine has a flat bottom so it can stand on its own. Many have rounded bottoms and are specifically made for cooking outside over a fire. If you don’t have one, use a heavy-bottomed dutch oven.

Preparing the Ingredients for Beef Plov

Beef

Lamb and beef are most traditional meats to use for Plov, though people also use chicken. In our house we make Plov only with beef 😁. Cut the meat into rectangles (my preferred method) or into squares, if you like. These are about an inch long.

Rice

The best rice for this dish is long-grain rice. I’ve also used Basmati when I didn’t have the long-grain rice on hand and it works out fine. I would avoid using short-grain rice in this dish as it can become mushy.

Measure out the rice and wash it.

Carrots

Peel the carrots. I leave the ends on at first to save time when peeling. They get cut off when I julienne the carrots with a knife (next step).

Using a knife, julienne the carrots into thin strips. These are about 1 1/2 – 2 inches long. You can also use a mandolin slicer for this, if you like. I’ve heard of people using a boxed grater to shred the carrots, but this is not something I would recommend. The carrots would be too mushy once cooked and that is not the type of Plov we are cooking here.

Here is the end result for all the cut carrots. It’s almost like a work of art – trying to get them all perfectly the same in size 🤗.

Onion

Peel and cut the onions. First into halves and then into thirds or fourths and then thinly slice them.

Herbs and Spices

Separate the garlic cloves, but don’t peel them as they get cooked whole in this dish. Then, measure out cumin (make sure these are whole seed and not ground), curry (if using), and turmeric (if using).

Preparing Kazakh Beef Plov

Using your Kazan or a heavy-bottomed dutch oven, heat the oil on medium heat. Add the cut meat to the oil, and fry until no longer red. Reduce heat to low, and let simmer for about an hour or until the water given off by the meat is cooked out. You will see the meat start to brown. Brown it to your desired consistency, but don’t let it burn. The darker the meat, the darker will the Plov be at the end.

Preheat the oven to 340° F (171° C). If you want to cook your Plov using the stove top, skip this step and proceed with the rest.

Add the chopped onions to the meat and fry, stirring once in a while, until they are soft and translucent.

As the onions are frying with the meat, heat a separate skillet on the stove, add a tablespoon of oil to it and sauté the carrots. Sauté until they are somewhat soft but not fully cooked. The carrots are added at the end on the top of everything else and they are basically steam-cooked in the dish.

In the meantime, once the onions are soft, add the spices and garlic and mix well. Then add the rice and mix everything together. Add the water and bring it to a boil.

Once the water is boiling, give everything a good stir, even out the rice and then add the carrots on the top of everything (they should be done at this point). Cover the pot with a lid and put it in the oven (if using this method).

If cooking the dish on the stove, reduce the heat to low and proceed to cook 40-45 minutes.

One Pot Option

To make Plov using only one pot, sauté the carrots in the dutch oven instead of a separate skillet. Then remove the carrots into a separate bowl or plate. Proceed with preparing the rest of the recipe as noted in the instructions.

Serving Beef Plov

Let the cooked Plov rest for about 15 minutes before opening the pot. Use a big serving spoon and mix everything together.

This dish tastes awesome with pickled tomatoes (another Russian specialty), and my Korean Spiced Carrot Salad. Seriously, if you make this dish, make the salad the day before (it needs to stay in the fridge overnight).

Note. The dish can be partially prepared ahead of time. Fry the meat the day before. Then, let it cool and refrigerate. Cut the carrots and onions and refrigerate them as well. Prep the rest of the ingredients. Then, on the day of cooking, you just need to saute the carrots and heat up the meat and complete cooking the dish. I do this a lot on the weekends where I prep everything on Saturday and finish everything on Sunday after church.

I hope this not only helps you learn how to make plov, but also encourages you to actually try it out.

Lastly, if you make this Kazakh Beef Plov, make sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating here! I’d love to hear back from you and will do my best to answer and respond to every comment. And of course, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram if you make this recipe. I’d love to see the photos of the recipes you have made!