Beef Pilau

5 from 1 vote

Beef Pilau or Beef Pilaf /Plov made with basmati rice and potatoes, and cooked in beef stock and aromatic spices, a hearty dinner recipe that is incredibly fragrant and delicious. The rice is fluffy and cooked to perfection, while the beef and potatoes are tender and nicely spiced. A fantastic one-pot recipe that cooks in no time.

Prep Time15

Cook Time40

Total Time55

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: African

Servings: people

Calories: 353kcal

Author: Daniela Apostol

Ingredients

250 g sirloin steak (½ lb)
2 potatoes
250 g basmati rice
1 large onion
2 cloves of garlic
2 cm fresh ginger
3 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon tomato puree
2 bay leaves
2 cups beef stock/broth
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon cardamom pods
1 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
½ teaspoon chilli powder
1 cinnamon stick
1 star anise
1 tablespoon fresh parsley

Instructions

Peel and chop the potatoes into chunks, add them to a pan with enough salted water to cover them, and cook until tender.
Add the cinnamons stick, cardamom pods, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, star anise and cloves to a frying pan set over a medium heat, and toss to 1-2 minutes to release their fragrance.
Add them to a spice blender / regular blender and blitz them to a fine powder.
In a large pan, add half of the oil, and heat it up well.
Season the beef chunks with salt and pepper, and sear on both sides, then remove from the pan and set aside.
Add the remaining oil to the pan, then the peeled and julienne-chopped onion and fry it on a low to medium heat until golden.
Add the peeled and chopped garlic and ginger together with the blended spices and chilli powder, and leave them to cook for 30 seconds to release their flavour.
In go the tomato paste and bay leaves, give everything a good stir.
Rinse the rice under cold water until the water runs clear, then add it to the pan together with the cooked potatoes and beef.
Pour over the beef stock, place a lid on the pan, and cook on a medium heat until the liquid is evaporated and the rice is cooked through.
Garnish with fresh parsley, and serve hot.

Video

Notes

You can use regular stewing beef too, but that would take a lot longer to cook, and you will need more beef stock/broth and possibly more spices.
Once the onion is golden, add the spices and tomato paste to it, add the seared beef chunks back to the pan, and pour over enough beef stock to cover everything.
Cook with the lid on until the beef is tender - you might have to add more stock depending on how tender the beef is at this stage. Once the beef is cooked, then you can add the cooked potatoes and rice, and follow the next steps.
Do not add the potatoes from the beginning, as they will disintegrate and their starch will make the dish very sticky.
If you do not have a spice blender, or whole spices, you can use regular ground spices. I love the whole ones as they are more fragrant when tossed, but whatever you have around should do.

Nutrition