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.
Hi Olga
I like your recipe for Plov, it's easy to read and it's not complicated...
Just wanted to mention that when cooking Plov I prefer to use short grain rice, that's what my dad always used when he made it, and he had a reputation for making the most yummiest Plov recipe in our Russian community, my parents were well known and praised for all their tasty dishes...they were the best.
I'm going to try to use basmati when I make this and also we use lamb, and also chicken thigh fillets, sometimes we mix it up with lamb and chicken in the same dish.....love yr recipes 🙂
Thank you for sharing, Anastasia.
hi olga..am palnning to cook plov this weekend as my fiance luvs them..he was in ukraine for about 7 yrs n keeps telling me how much he misses plov..im a vegetarian..i ve never cooked with lamb before..but i ve tried cooking chicken for him a couple of times..was wondering what kind of changes do i make if i use chicken meat instead...tq
I don't use lamb either for Plov, jieva, but I've used chicken many times:).
I would recommend using boneless, skinless chicken thighs and cutting the meat into about 1 inch pieces. Don't use chicken breast because it will dry out very quickly.
Brown the chicken, on all sides, but don't worry about cooking it all the way through, since it will continue to cook with the vegetables and the rice. Then add the onion, carrots and spices, just like I specify in the recipe instructions. However, at this point, you don't need to braise the meat and vegetables for 45 min - 1 hour. The beef needs that extra time to become tender, but the chicken will be tender already. Don't add the braising water, just add the rice and continue with the rest of the recipe. It's actually much easier and faster with chicken than with beef. I hope that helps.
Hi Olga, i have a question can i make this in a slow cooker? And if i can make it in a crock pot, when should i add the rice? please advise. Thank you
I have never done it in the slow cooker, Olga. I'm sorry I can't be helpful.
I love plov, learned to make it from my Russian mother in law, it's now a staple in our home too! 🙂 I get spice mix from local Russian supermarket.
https://mycollardgreenz.wordpress.com/2015/07/06/quick-green-sauce-with-lean-ground-pork-and-plov/
Learning recipes from family members is so special:).
Thank you for the recipe!! My Russian husband requested "Russian style pilaf" for dinner and I googled around a bit to find a recipe... When I saw yours I knew it would be the one to try! My only experience with pilaf is as a side dish with rice, golden raisins and almonds... This way looks much better! Making it this week!
Welcome, Caitlin. I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe. Thank you for taking the time to write. I actually just made it yesterday:).
My kids agreed i can make this again =) husband said i ruined the meat by adding rice - silly Americans. I personally am ecstatic - have been dreaming about plov for many years now but never dared try making it as it in theory requires a proper kazan etc. Well i made it in a cheap non stick regular soup pot and am amazed that it turned out so well. Thanks a million!
Hi Olga,
I wonder how would I go about making this with chicken? My husband won't eat meat unless it's chicken 🙁 My mom always made it with beef, but when I try it with chicken it overcooks. Any suggestions?
Thanks 🙂
Olga.
I've tried different types of rice, I think best rice for plov is basmati rice. I soak it in cold water for at least an hour and rinse it until water is clear.
I like basmati the best too, Paul:).
Ok, it IS possible to mess up this recipe. I halved it because people at home (completely understandably) don't always eat what I cook and I didn't want to make too much. I over-browned the meat, accidentally put twice the amount of paprika, which made the meal quite red, and didn't get the rice-water proportions right so I had to add water but then I added too much so the rice overcooked 🙂 Pretty much all that could go wrong did, but the meal still has such a good flavor! I will work on it until I can make it right! For some reason, though, I can never get rice right, unless I make it in a rice cooker! 🙁
Oh, no! I'm sorry to hear of all the trouble you had with the Plov, Milena. I hope it works out better next time.
Hi Olga! This looks like a lovely recipe. Do you think jasmine rice will work with it?
That should work too, Julia, although I've never personally made Plov with jasmine rice myself.
Hi Olga, have you made this with pork? Would I cook it for same amount of time as with beef, or do anything else differently? In my experience, pork tends to cook faster than beef so I don't want to overcook it.
No, I don't make Plob with pork, but you certainly can, Anna. I would suggest using pork shoulder, aka Boston Butt and then just brown it until it's golden brown. The meat will be tender without cooking it for a long time, like you need to do with the beef.
Hi, looks amazing! A few questions: can I make this with chicken bone in thigh/legs and also if I can’t do black pepper, can I do papaya seeds instead? Thank you so much
Hi Julia,
Yes, you can use chicken thighs, but I would recommend using boneless chicken. Of course, that is your choice, but this recipe works better with cuts up pieces of meat better.
I have not used papaya seeds in this recipe, but you are welcome to make your own flavor substitutions.
Thank you so much! One more question: with plov does the meat to rice ratio make a difference? For example if I do a lot more meat (chicken) will it ruin the taste? I have 6 people total and I am thinking of using 3 or a bit more lbs of chicken. I am nervous to ruin the ratio if that is a thing. Thank you!
Wow!! I just made this plov, and I think this the best i've ever made! Thank you so much for this recipe Olga! I will be making this again and again. 🙂
That's great, Yana. I'm so happy to hear that. Thanks for taking the time to write.
Hi Olga, I really love your dutch oven, what size is yours, I am in the market for one.
I absolutely love my dutch oven! Here is a link to a post where I wrote more about it. There is also a link to the exact same Dutch oven that I have. Click on the picture or the title and it will take you to the Amazon store with all the details about it. I hope that helps.
what size do recommend, for a family 5
That depends on how much you eat. Are they all adults or children? You would probably know more than I do, how much your family eats. I think I portion would be enough.
This is by far the best recipe I ever followed because it explains not only what to do, but also why. We are from the North, and for me rice dishes are totally foreign.
Even so, I was able to make a very tasty dish from the first try by following instructions.
I do realize that this is not 'THE' Plov (as an Azer guy explained to me, he can not make Plov here in NJ because - Do you think this is lamb? No, this is no lamb: His mother used to buy lamb only from a sheep that was raised 'on the right side of the mountain'.)
And an ethnic Greek guy, who's family has been living by the shores of Black sea for generations, told me: Plov is food cooked by males. Otherwise it is just a meat and rice dish. Admittedly he was cooking it in the open air, over the open fire in tagan with his school-age sons, and the result was impossibly spicy and very tasty.
Still, I would like to thank you for this very very close approximation. Our family loves it.
Hi Helen!
Thank you so much for taking the time to write. I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe and that the instructions were helpful:).
My husband loves plov! I'm so glad I found your recipe, which was easy to follow and just as good as the ones we've had in Russia. Thank you!
I'm happy to hear that, Felicia!