Instant Pot Beef and Rice (Plov)

This easy Instant Pot Beef and Rice Plov is a great weeknight dinner. The tender beef, prepared with carrots, onions, along with a collection of spices, flavors the rice that cooks perfectly in the pressure cooker and takes a fraction of the time than if you would cook in on the stove.

The Instant Pot is a great appliance for recipes like this that normally take much longer to cook on the stove. This Instant Pot version of Beef and Rice Plov is a favorite beef and rice meal in the Slavic cuisine that originated from the wonderful Uzbek cuisine.

Traditional Plov (rice and meat pilaf) is made with lamb, but I prefer using beef. I have a stovetop recipe already posted here, but cooking it in the Instant Pot is so much faster and the results are excellent, as long as you don't overcook it. The most time consuming part of the recipe is browning the meat and the vegetables, the rest is so quick and easy.

The long grain white rice gets so much flavor from the spices and the aromatic vegetables - onion, carrots and garlic. The leftovers reheat really well, so you can serve it the next day, or even freeze it for another meal down the road. I love reheating Plov on a skillet - it creates the perfect texture and flavor. 

Ingredients:

This recipe is for a large batch of Plov. Feel free to halve the recipe; keep the cooking times the same.

3 lbs top sirloin beef, cut into 1 inch cubes

2-3 Tablespoons oil (avocado, sunflower, grape seed, light olive oil, etc.)

2 onions, finely chopped

3 carrots, cut into julienne

2-4 garlic cloves, minced

1 bay leaf

salt, ground black pepper, to taste

½ - 1 teaspoons cumin

1-2 teaspoons paprika

1-2 teaspoons dry herb mixture, optional

3 cups long grain white rice

What Meat is Best For Plov?

I prefer to use top sirloin - it has great flavor and becomes nice and tender.

You can also use beef chuck, but you will need to cook it longer - up to an hour, for it to become tender. You can also use chicken thighs or pork shoulder or boneless country style pork ribs. After sautéing the chicken or pork, you don't need to braise it, just add the rice and cook for 3 minutes. I do not recommend using chicken breast or pork loin for Plov, since they will dry out and become tough.

What Rice is Best For Plov?

I use long grain white rice, either basmati or jasmine - basmati is my personal favorite. Medium grain, short grain and brown rice will all have different cooking times than long grain white rice. Medium grain and short grain rice will also have a clumpy texture and the grains of rice will stick together.

You do not need to wash the rice in this recipe. However, you can wash it if it's your preference.

Spices to Use For Plov

Cumin, salt, ground black pepper and bay leaves are the most widely used for Plov. I also add paprika and other dry herb seasoning that I simply like the taste of - Onion Salt from Trader Joe's and a chicken seasoning mix, which has lots of delicious spices, such as garlic, onion, sea salt, sage, rosemary, thyme, oregano, marjoram, black pepper, fennel, coriander and bay leaf. You can use any combination of herbs and spices that you like. You can also use coriander and barberries, more traditional spices used with Plov.

How To Make Instant Pot Beef and Rice

1. Prepare all the ingredients. Cut the meat, chop the onions, slice the carrots and mince the garlic.
2. Saute the beef.
   • Turn on the Instant Pot. Using the “Saute” function on the Instant Pot, adjust the heat to “More”. Add the oil and when the oil is hot, brown the beef in batches, until golden brown on both sides. (To make this process faster, you can also saute the meat in a skillet too.)
3. Next, saute the veggies.
   • Add the onions, carrots and garlic. Season with salt and ground black pepper to taste. Mix to combine and cook for about 5 minutes, until the vegetables start to soften.
4. Return the beef to the Instant Pot and season with more salt, ground black pepper, paprika, cumin and other dry herbs or seasoning blends that you like.
5. Braise the meat and vegetables until the beef is tender.
   • Pour in about 2 ½ cups of water, enough to just cover the meat and vegetables. Add the bay leaf. Switch from "Saute" mode to "Pressure Cook". Cook on High Pressure, for 15 minutes.
   • Use the quick release option to release the pressure and open the Instant Pot. Remove the bay leaf and discard.
6. Lastly,add the rice, spreading it out on top of the meat and vegetables, being careful not to mix it in too much, leaving it on the top layer.
   • Pour in another 2 ½ cups of hot water on top of the rice, once again being careful not to disturb the rice too much. Add about 1 teaspoon of salt to the water. Cover the Instant Pot again and turn the valve to "Sealing".
   • Turn on the "Manual" mode, High Pressure, for 3 minutes.
7. When the Instant Pot turns off, let it stand for 3-5 minutes and then use the Quick Release option to release the pressure and open the Instant Pot.

Browning the Beef

• Don't crowd the beef. If you add too much beef, it will begin to steam and you won't get a sear on the meat. As you brown on batch of meat, remove it from the Instant Pot and set it aside in another bowl. If the bottom of the Instant Pot starts to burn, pour in a bit of water, scrape out the burned bit, pour out the water, wipe out the inner chamber and start again.
• When you start a new batch of beef browning in the Instant Pot, add a bit more oil, enough to cover the bottom of the pot, and heat it up until the oil is shimmering again before adding the beef. This should happen very quickly.

• Also, you can use other cuts of meat, such as beef chuck, or even pork shoulder or chicken thighs.
  • If you use chuck, it's a much tougher cut and you'll need to cook it longer. When braising, cook it on High Pressure for 45-60 minutes, instead of 15 minutes, until the beef is tender. The time depends on the size that you cut the meat and how tough it is.
  • If using chicken thighs, you can skip the braising part and move on to adding the rice.
  • The pork shoulder also depends. It may be tender enough after browning that you can skip braising it and just proceed with the rice. Try it and if it's tough, cover it with water like you do with beef and cook it until it's tender, then add the rice.

Use a fork to fluff up the rice and mix the rice with the beef and vegetables. Fluffing it up will keep the rice from becoming clumpy and mushy.

Serving and Storing

Favorite side dishes to serve with the Beef and Rice:

• Pickles. Store bought of homemade, briny, crunchy pickles are perfect with this meal.
• Garlic Dill Cucumbers
• Broccoli Cauliflower Salad
• Crunchy Cabbage Cucumber Salad

Store leftover Plov in an airtight container for 3-5 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw and reheat in a skillet until warmed through for best results. (You may want to add a bit of water of broth to the rice when reheating.)

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