Main Page
National cuisine
Pilaf in a cauldron of beef on the stove

Beef Plov in a Cauldron on the Stovetop

Make a hearty, tasty, fragrant meat dish! Beef is considered tougher than pork, but beef plov made in a cauldron on the stovetop comes out very tender, with meat that practically falls apart. The curry turns the rice golden, and the aroma in the kitchen is incredible.

Maria

Recipe author

Pilaf in a cauldron of beef on the stove

Watch the video

Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Beef (boneless)

600

Rice

600

Vegetable oil

200

Carrot (large)

Onion

Garlic (2 heads)

Salt

Curry

Pilaf seasoning (for plov)

0.5

Ground black pepper

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 19 % 11 g

Fats 26 % 15 g

Carbohydrates 54 % 31 g

301 kcal

GI: 3 / 97 / 0

Cooking method

Step 1:

How do you make beef plov in a cauldron on the stovetop? Gather all the ingredients for the plov. It's best to use only boneless beef with no tough veins or sinew. The rice for plov should be the special kind, labeled "for plov," or regular parboiled rice will do — it holds its shape well when cooked.
Step 2:

Rinse the beef thoroughly and cut it into medium cubes. Don't cut it too small — the beef can dry out and turn tough, while overly large pieces are awkward to eat.
Step 3:

Peel the carrot and cut it into small sticks. As I've noticed, in almost all plov recipes the carrot is cut into sticks rather than grated. That way there's a better chance it stays intact and holds its shape, so the plov looks nicer.
Step 4:

Peel the onion. Usually the onion for plov is cut into small cubes and fried with the meat (step 6). I don't like or can't stand a pronounced onion flavor in plov, so I add the onion whole: that way it gives up all its qualities and aroma, but its flavor stays completely unnoticeable. So if you like onion, cut it into small cubes.
Step 5:

Rinse the rice thoroughly in cold water until it runs clear, with no milky tint.
Step 6:

Peel the outer skin off the garlic heads so the cloves show through. This helps the garlic release its aroma and flavor better.
Step 7:

Heat the vegetable oil in a cauldron. Add the meat and fry it over high heat, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes until golden. The heat must be high so the meat sizzles in the oil — that quickly seals in all the meat juices and keeps the beef juicy. At this same stage, you can add the chopped onion and fry it with the meat.
Step 8:

Add the carrot to the meat, stir, and fry everything together, stirring, for another 4–5 minutes.
Step 9:

Pour 1 cup of boiling water into the cauldron. Add the curry, pilaf seasoning, ground pepper, and salt. Mix everything together.
Step 10:

Add the whole onion (if you also chose not to add it chopped in step 6) and the whole garlic heads. Turn the heat down to its lowest so it barely simmers (mine is on setting 2–3). Simmer everything together for about 40 minutes.
Step 11:

Pour the rice into the cauldron and level it out. Don't mix the rice with the meat.
Step 12:

Carefully pour boiling water over everything so it rises about 1.5 cm above the rice. Try not to mix the layers of meat and rice.
Step 13:

Cook the plov over low heat, uncovered, until the water evaporates. This can take about 12 to 16 minutes, depending on the type of rice, the thickness of your cauldron, and how high the heat is. The rice will swell and absorb all the water. Don't stir the plov while it cooks!
Step 14:

Cover the cauldron and cook the plov for another 5–7 minutes. Then turn off the heat. Let the plov rest, covered, for about 10 minutes. Enjoy!