Plov is a rice pilaf with meat, carrots, onions and spices, tender chunks of meat and fluffy rice with lots of aromatic flavors.
Plov is traditionally made with lamb and is cooked in a huge cooking vessel over an open fire. It is a skill that is passed down through generations and is perfect for holidays and gatherings with lots of people.
Of course, Plov is also prepared on a humble and ordinary stovetop too. It is a beloved dinner and is a reliable staple menu option. It is delicious served immediately, but also reheats very well too, so I tend to make a big batch so I can have a day off from cooking the next day.
Anyway, Plov is a rice pilaf with meat, carrots, onions and spices. It's absolutely delicious - tender chunks of meat, fluffy rice with lots of aromatic flavors given by onions, carrots and garlic. It also has several great spices to kick it up a notch.
Ingredients:
1 ½ - 2 lbs beef chuck, cut into ½ inch pieces
¼-1/3 cup canola or vegetable oil
2 onions, chopped
3-4 carrots, peeled and julienned into matchsticks, or shredded
1 ½-1 ¾ cups water, for braising
salt
freshly ground black pepper
2-4 dry bay leaves
1-2 teaspoons cumin
1-2 teaspoons paprika
3 cups long grain rice
1 garlic head
4 cups water, hot, when cooking the rice
Instructions:
Cut the beef, about 1 ½ lbs, into ¾-1/2 inch chunks. It really depends on how big you like your meat. I like it medium sized, so that's the size I use.
Traditionally, lamb is used in Plov. I prefer the taste of beef. You can also use chicken, but if you do, use dark meat, not chicken breast.
Blot the meat dry using a paper towel.
Why? Because the meat needs to sear (get really nicely brown). If you put it in wet, first of all it will splatter in the hot oil and second of all, it will start to steam instead of sear. The golden brown meat will give an awesome flavor to the whole dish.
Using a dutch oven or a large pot, heat about ¼-1/3 cup of oil over high heat until it's smoking hot.
You should have enough oil to generously cover the bottom of the dutch oven.
Add the meat to the oil, and cook for 7-10 minutes, until the meat has a deep golden brown color. 
Reduce the heat to medium and add the two chopped onions to the dutch oven. Cook for 5-7 minutes more, until the onions are tender and slightly golden. 
Add the shredded or julienned carrots, stir to combine and season with salt, pepper, dry bay leaf, paprika and cumin.
Instead of shredding the carrots, you can julienne the carrots or cut them into strips. It's really up to you.
The cumin and paprika will add a lovely golden color to the Plov. They are both very aromatic and punch some real flavor into the finished dish.
Cover the beef, onions and carrots with about 1 ½ -1 ¾ cups of water, enough to barely cover them. Cover with a lid and simmer for about 45 minutes - 1 hour, until the beef is tender.
Don't skip this step, since the meat will be rubbery and chewy if you don't give it enough time to cook into tender and moist chunks.
Meanwhile, if you want an extra precaution, rinse the rice in water, until the water runs clear. I place the rice in a fine mesh sieve and place it over a bowl, fill it with water, rinse, pour out and repeat about 5 times.
The point is to get rid of an extra starch that is on the rice. Starch will make the rice sticky, and for this dish we are trying to achieve fluffy rice, where each granule is separate.
When I use basmati rice, it cooks a little bit quicker than regular long grain white rice. If you use the plain long grain rice, cover it with boiling water and let it stand it in while the beef, onions and carrots are simmering.
This will help to ensure that the rice cooks all the way through. Basmati doesn't need the extra soaking in hot water, otherwise it will overcook and turn into mush. I don't even rinse basmati rice or steep it in hot water either. 
When the beef is tender, drain the water from the rice (if you're soaking it) and place the rice on top of the the beef, onions and carrots. DON'T mix them together. Spread the rice out evenly, and pour in about 4 cups of hot, or boiling water. Season with salt.
Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat to medium high heat and keep cooking it, uncovered, until most of the water is absorbed. 
Insert a whole garlic head into the rice, make a few holes in the rice, to help the water cook out faster, (I use the handle of a long wooden spoon to create the holes, cover the pot, reduce the heat to low and cook for another 10-15 minutes, just until the rice is cooked through.
At this point, take out the roasted garlic and mix the whole dish, to incorporate the beef, onion, and carrots with the rice.
You can press some of the roasted garlic through a garlic press and add it to the rice, or used the roasted garlic in flavored butters, Garlic Bread, etc. 
Plov freezes very well too, so you can make a large batch and freeze the extra portions.
To reheat, thaw the Plov, and heat it up, either in the microwave or in a skillet. I like adding a little bit of grated cheese to leftover Plov when I'm reheating it in a skillet. The cheese melts, and becomes a little crisp in some places and adds creaminess and crispness to the dish.
Plov
Plov is a rice pilaf with meat, carrots, onions and spices, tender chunks of meat and fluffy rice with lots of aromatic flavors.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 120 minutes
- Total Time: 145 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Main Course
Ingredients
- 1 ½ - 2 lbs beef chuck (cut into ½ inch pieces)
- ¼-⅓ cup canola or vegetable oil
- 2 onions (chopped)
- 3-4 carrots (peeled and julienned into matchsticks, or shredded)
- 1 ½-1 ¾ cups water (for braising)
- salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 2-4 dry bay leaves
- 1-2 teaspoons cumin
- 1-2 teaspoons paprika
- 3 cups long grain rice
- 1 garlic head
- 4 cups water (hot, when cooking the rice)
Instructions
- Cut the beef, about 1 ½ lbs, into ¾-1/2 inch chunks. Blot the meat dry using a paper towel.
- Using a dutch oven or a large pot, heat about ¼-1/3 cup of oil over high heat until it's smoking hot. You should have enough oil to generously cover the bottom of the dutch oven.
- Add the meat to the oil, and cook for 7-10 minutes, until the meat has a deep golden brown color.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the 2 chopped onions to the dutch oven. Cook for 5-7 minutes more, until the onions are tender and slightly golden.
- Add the shredded carrots, stir to combine and season with salt, pepper, dry bay leaf, paprika and cumin. Cook for about 5 more minutes, until the carrots also become tender. Instead of shredding the carrots, you can julienne the carrots or cut them into sticks, as thick or thin as you like.
- Cover the beef, onions and carrots with about 1 ½ -1 ¾ cups of water, enough to barely cover them. Cover with a lid and simmer for about 45 minutes - 1 hour, until the beef is tender.
- Meanwhile, if you want an extra precaution, rinse the rice in water, until the water runs clear.
- When I use basmati rice, it cooks a little bit quicker than regular long grain white rice. If you use the plain long grain rice, cover it with boiling water and let it stand it in while the beef, onions and carrots are simmering. This will help to ensure that the rice cooks all the way through. I don't rinse basmati rice or steep it in hot water either.
- When the beef is tender, drain the water from the rice and place the rice on top of the the beef, onions and carrots. DON'T mix them together.
- Spread the rice out evenly, and pour in about 4 cups of hot, or boiling water. It should cover the rice by about an 1 -1 ½ inches. Season with salt. Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, high heat and keep cooking it, uncovered, until most of the water is absorbed.
- Insert a whole garlic head into the rice, make a few holes in the rice, to help the water cook out faster, (I use the handle of a long wooden spoon to create the holes), cover the pot, reduce the heat to low and cook for another 10-15 minutes, just until the rice is cooked through.
- At this point, take out the roasted garlic and mix the whole dish, to incorporate the beef, onion, and carrots with the rice. You can press some of the roasted garlic through a garlic press and add it to the rice, or used the roasted garlic in flavored butters, garlic bread, etc.
- Plov freezes very well too, so you can make a large batch and freeze the extra portions. To reheat, thaw the Plov, and heat it up, either in the microwave or in a skillet. I like adding a little bit of grated cheese to leftover Plov when I'm reheating it in a skillet. The cheese melts, and becomes a little crisp in some places and adds creaminess and crispness to the dish.
I'll have to try this! My husband's family is Tajik and they've tried to teach me how to make it, but I don't learn recipes well by watching people - I need specific measurements to start out and his mom just does everything by eye! They use whole cumin seeds and no paprika or bay, but otherwise it looks very similar to their recipe. They also have some delicious variations such as making it with meatballs instead of chuck or making it with stuffed grape leaves (my favorite).
Those are some great ideas, Kerry! Sounds like your family enjoys lots of great food.
My family is from Uzbekistan and I can tell you your recipe lacks a few things. First to make good Plov you need to use the stronger burner in your kitchen. Also Plov is traditional make in a Kazan which is similar to what's being used here but the metal that it is castes from is different. Rice is very important and it's important to not wash the rice but soak it first. Let the rice take in as much water as it needs. Another note... When you put in the rice you leave the top open until all the water disappears and only oil is left then you close it. The recipe calls for 1/4 - 1/3 cup which is way to little you need to use at least 1/2 2/3 cups of oil.
P.S. This is not a dish you can learn to make without either A. Watching someone make it who is from the region B. Have crazy specific instructions.
Thanks for your input, Igor. I know you Uzbekistanians are amazing at making Plov. Thank you for taking the time to share your expertise.
I know my version is not "authentic", nor do I claim it to be. I created this version based on what I have available, the pots that I own and the type of taste that I prefer:). I make do with the stove that I have. I would love to own a stove with a better burner, but that is what I have.
Also, you're right about the amount of oil. My recipe calls for significantly less than most Plov recipes, but that's because I prefer it that way:).
The plov turned out really good for my first time. But I think I added too much water to the meat because I once I put the rice in and some more water it took longer to evaporate plus the rice wasn't completely cooked through. Do I added a bit more water and let it cook an additional ten min and the rice underneath was fine so I just mixed everything and closed the lid without the heat. It was done but slightly over cooked however the meat turned out soft, melt in your mouth. My mom always done it with pork but the beef I feel turned out better
It sounds like maybe there wasn't enough liquid covering the rice, although what you can try next time is poking a fe holes all the way through to the bottom using the handle of a large wooden spoon, covering the pot and this way the rice on top will steam as well and should cook through at the same time as the bottom rice and help the liquid evaporate as well.
Olga, I absolutely LOVE your recipes. I feel like a stalker or something because just today I made your Tiramisu, the cabbage chicken meatballs, but ya ab'la'malas because I totally forgot the cabbage but I still did everything else and it was DELICIOUS!!!! I'm also making your recipe for Plov and right now for tomorrow. It's simmering right now and it smells heavenly!!! This is my first time so thank you. May God bless you and your family.
Hi Irina!
Thanks so much for writing! I really appreciate it. I am thrilled that you are trying my recipes. It makes my heart sing and dance:).
Olga, What king of dutch oven are you using? where can I get one? I cant wait to to make this plov!
There are many kinds of dutch ovens. You can check out the one I have in my Shop.
Olga, I made this plov recipe several times and for some reason the rice just breaks into pieces when I mix it. I used Basmati rice and I did half the recipe since the original is just too much for my family. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong.
Thanks for you help.
My guess is that you overcooked it. If you used basmati rice, there is no need to soak it in hot water before adding it to the pot. Different rice cooks differently, so that's why I included tips for cooking different varieties.
Yes, I red that about basmati rice and didn't soak it! I just rinsed it out, put it in the pot, let some of the water boil out and then 15 min. I guess Ill try jasmin rice next time. Thanks.
Just cook it less, next time. Keep an eye on the rice and as soon as it's done cooking, turn it off. Some stoves cook faster than others and also the brand of rice, etc. As a general rule of thumb, I always start to watch anything I'm cooking 10-15 minutes BEFORE the time that the recipe specifies, because I know that many things come into play, the pot you're using, the specific ingredients, the stove, etc.
Hi olga. What do you think of using black pepper balls instead of powder form for this recipe, would it taste diff? How many would u recommend?
I know you can add peppercorns to Plov and many people do. I don't like to do this, simply because it's hard to fish out the peppercorns later from the Plov and someone will most likely bite down on a peppercorn, which is a very unpleasant experience.
Nice recipe though I found 3 cups of rice to be a bit overwhelming compared to the seasoning and beef. Next time I'll try two
Absolutely, Tonya! If you like more beef, that's easily fixed:). My husband likes more meat as well.
I imagine this is a very tasty dish. Can you direct me to some recipes for appropriate vegetable dishes to accompany this dish?
Hi Ben,
Plov is delicious:). It also pairs well in many, many vegetable side dishes. Check some out here:
Plov – Плов | Olga's Flavor Factory
Po tvoemu receptu, ja delala plov uzhe raz 5 i pozavchera sin menya poprasil snova shtob ja prigotovila. Kak vidish, tvoj recept otmennij! Tol'ko ne mogu ponyat' pochemu myaso prigoraet v kostriulke kogda delaju step #11. Any ideas?
I'm so glad to hear that you enjoyed the Plov! One of the reasons that the meat might be burning on the bottom of the pot is because the pot overheats too easily. Try turning down the heat even more or use a different pot, if possible.
Thanks for the great website, it's put together really well. I'm going to try this recipe it looks great..So using the garlic head like that roasts it and infuses the flavor into the dish ? Thanks again for the recipes
Made this today and everything went well except for me completely destroying the rice (overcooked) - so it is mushy but I was thinking maybe it could be a filling for pierogi or something? What do you think Olga. Will eat it regardless haha
That's too bad, Gregory!
You probably can use it for a filling in pierogi, but I haven't tried it myself. What a creative idea. Let me know how it goes.
Yes, Gregory. It perfumes the rice with a mild garlic flavor.
This looks amazing! I have a monthly series on my blog called Russian Recipes Revisited and might just have to make this in June!!
That's great! I would be honored. I'll definitely check out your blog, Olga. Nice to meet another blogger named Olga:).
Hi Olga,
Made this plov from natashaskitchen but I hear that all the credit goes to you! It turned out perfect and delicious! Thank you so much for sharing your recipes! 🙂
Super! I'm so happy to hear that you liked it. A huge thanks to Natasha for sharing. She's great.
Hi Olga,
I have never attempted to make plov but this is one of the classic dishes at our house. My mom always makes extra and we make breakfast burritos with the leftovers.