Pakistani Beef Curry (Instant Pot)
This Instant Pot Beef Curry, sometimes called stew, is an easy Pakistani beef recipe in which boneless beef stew meat is cooked alongside onions, yogurt, and whole spices. The best part? It’s a dump-and-go recipe with only 10 minutes of prep work before it starts cooking!
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“This recipe is nothing short of amazing!!! There are literally indescribable flavors in every bite. Plus, the recipe layout is straightforward and simple to follow.”
Chris
Navigation
- What Is This Beef Curry, Actually?
- Ingredients You’ll Need
- How To Make Pakistani Beef Curry In The Instant Pot
- What Cut Of Beef To Use
- How Long Does It Take To Make Pakistani Beef Curry (Or Stew) In The Instant Pot?
- Tips To Make Pakistani Beef Curry In The Instant Pot
- How To Make This Beef Curry On The Stovetop
- How To Double This Recipe – Key Tip
- Easy Instant Pot Beef Curry Recipe
What is this Beef Curry, actually?
For the life of me, I could not figure out what to call this recipe. It’s not anything I grew up with, or had ever heard of, until I had the mind-blowing experience of tasting it. My cousin’s mom-in-law, who introduced us to it, calls it Isto, which I believe is ‘stew’ lost in transliteration.
Still, I found the name ‘stew’ unsettling. The meat is not wading in gravy like it would in a stew. I see no vegetables. Sleepless nights, I tell you.
Beef Korma, Bhunna Gosht (Sautéed meat), Beef Masala…It has elements of all these dishes, but it’s not any of them.
Luckily, my Instagram community came to the rescue and told me, yes, indeed, Ishtu (pronounced “Ishtew”) is a recipe in which beef is cooked in lots of onion and whole spices (or khara masala). It’s more like a curry, but I’ll pay homage to the history of South Asian cuisine and also refer to it as a stew.
Ingredients You’ll Need
While this recipe calls for several whole spices, they’re actually the most commonly used spices in Indian and Pakistani cooking and most are readily available at major grocery stores.
Other than the whole spices, this recipe requires simple ingredients like onions, yogurt, garlic, and ginger. Almonds are a must to enhance the texture and give it a luxurious, Mughal-inspired finish.
How To Make Pakistani Beef Curry In The Instant Pot
This is the easiest of my Instant Pot recipes. Here’s how to make it:
- Marinate the beef in vinegar & water, then prep and add all of the ingredients listed under Instant Pot (order doesn’t matter). Drain the beef and mix it in.
- Secure the lid, seal, and set the timer to 45 minutes – High or select the Meat/Stew setting. Allow to naturally release for 10-15 minutes, then manually release any remaining pressure.
- Meanwhile, prepare the almonds by microwaving them in water, then peeling.
- Sauté until most of the water has evaporated. This part takes a bit of patience but it’s very much worth it. Toward the end, add the crushed ginger and peeled almonds. And you’re done!
In case you’re wondering, here’s the Instant Pot I use. And if you love IP recipes, check out these 15+ Pakistani Instant Pot Recipes.
What Cut of Beef to Use
I use pre-cut beef stew meat, the same as the meat for nihari or haleem. Stew meat is essentially boneless beef that comes from the front shoulder (chuck) or rear muscle (round). If the type of stew meat is specified, I look for shoulder, as I’ve found it to be more tender.
For this recipe, you want the stew pieces to be 1-2 inches. If they’re longer, you may need to cut them in half.
How Long Does It Take to Make Pakistani Beef Curry (or Stew) in the Instant Pot?
My Instant Pot sets a timer of 45 minutes on high pressure when I select the Meat/Stew setting. I like to allow it to naturally release for 10-15 minutes to allow the water to stop boiling and the meat to get even more tender.
The longest part of this recipe is sautéing at the end. Apart from that, there’s very little work to be done. An hour and 30 minutes is around the time it’ll take (mostly hands off) to make this. To speed things up, you can also sauté out the excess water over the stovetop.
Tips to make Pakistani Beef Curry in the Instant Pot:
- If you want the onions to be more prominent, thinly slice them. I finely chop them.
- Feel free to adjust the quantities to your taste. The basic rule is:
- more yogurt + onion = more sauté time but also more masala in the end product
- less yogurt + onion = less sauté time but also less masala in the end product
- Because we’re pressure cooking on high, the yogurt will curdle. That’ll resolve itself as you sauté it down.
How to make this Beef Curry on the Stovetop
Though I haven’t tried it myself, this recipe can easily be made over the stovetop. Just add all the ingredients for Instant Pot along with enough water to cover the meat. Then bring to a boil, cover, and lower the heat to a simmer for 2 1/2 -3 hours or until tender. Sauté out any extra moisture and add the finishing ingredients.
How to Double this recipe – Key Tip
You can easily double this recipe by doubling the ingredients and keeping the same pressure cook time.
However, you’ll notice you have a lot more liquid to reduce once the meat has cooked.
To prevent the meat from overcooking/shredding, take the meat out once you start sauteing/reducing down the curry. Once the masala has reduced and reached your preferred consistency, add the meat back in. This will prevent the meat from starting to shred while you stir. (I like a little shredding, but too much will lead to an overly delicious pulled beef recipe.)
Serving Suggestions
Since this is a relatively dry curry, it goes best with roti or naan, or any bread of choice. That’s the best way to experience it’s nuance and texture. This Beef Curry also pairs well with Masoor Dal. As usual, discard the whole spices as you eat.
Leftover ideas: Remove whole spices, lightly shred the beef, and roll it up in parathas, use as a filling for sandwiches, or add to stir-fries. I’ve used leftovers in tacos and even salads!
More Instant Pot Recipes
- Easy Instant Pot Keema (Ground Beef Curry)
- Instant Pot Pakistani Chicken Curry
- Instant Pot Chicken Pulao (Instant Pot and Stovetop)
- Easy Shaami Kebob (Instant Pot and Stovetop)
- Instant Pot Nihari (See Slow Cooker version here)
Tried this recipe? If you have a minute, please consider leaving a comment telling me how it was! If you’re on Instagram, please tag me so I can see your creations. I truly love hearing from you. Thank you!
Easy Instant Pot Pakistani Beef Curry
Watch the Video
Ingredients
Marinade:
- 1 lb (454 g) beef stew meat, cut into 1 to 2 inch cubes
- 2 tbsp white vinegar
To Pressure Cook:
- 1 large (~220 g) yellow onion, chopped or sliced (1 large = 2 small onions)
- ¼ cup neutral oil
- 6 garlic cloves, (leave whole)
- 8 dried button red chili peppers, if using regular dried chilies, use less
- 2 tsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/4 tsp whole cloves
- 1/4 tsp whole black peppercorns
- 1- inch cinnamon stick
- 2 whole green cardamom pods
- 1-2 whole black cardamom pods
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 1/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 – 1 cup (245 g) plain whole milk yogurt*
After Pressure Cooking:
- 1- inch ginger, crushed
- 2 tbsp (~15-16) whole raw almonds
- 1 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped, for garnish
Equipment
Instructions
- To marinate: In a medium bowl, combine the beef and vinegar and add enough water to cover the meat. Set aside and allow the beef to tenderize.
- Meanwhile, add all ingredients listed under ‘To Pressure Cook’ to the Instant Pot. Drain the beef, then rinse and add to the Instant Pot. Stir to mix. (No need to add water to the Instant Pot.)
- Close and seal the lid, then select the Meat/Stew Pressure Cook setting, with a timer set for 45 minutes on High Pressure. When the timer is up, allow pressure to naturally release for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare the almonds: Place the almonds in a small microwave-safe bowl and add enough water to submerge. Microwave the almonds for 1 minute, then drain the water and rinse in cold water. Peel the skin off the almond and discard.
- Remove lid and Select High Sauté setting. Sauté until most of the moisture has dried up and the curry starts to thicken (~15 minutes). Gradually increase stirring as time goes on to prevent it from sticking to the bottom.
- Add the crushed ginger and peeled almonds and sauté for an additional 2-3 minutes or until the oil starts to separate from the curry. Taste and adjust salt. Cancel Sauté setting. Garnish with cilantro and serve with naan, roti, or other bread. Discard whole spices as you eat.
81 Comments on “Pakistani Beef Curry (Instant Pot)”
This recipe is nothing short of amazing!!! There are literally indescribable flavors in every bite. Plus, the recipe layout is straightforward and simple to follow. Do yourself a favor and double the recipe the first time you make it so you have leftovers, because you’ll definitely be going back for seconds, if not thirds!
What a nice review, Chris – made my day! Thanks so much for sharing and I’m so glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
Made this and your chana dal tonight and I’m obsessed with both! My toddler loved both as well!! Next week I’ll be trying the haleem!
So glad to hear that, Ashleigh! Thank you so much for taking the time to review! Hope you get to try Haleem!
Are we making on pressure cooker. What is the timer
I’m not sure of the exact timing in a pressure cooker but it would definitely take less time to cook. And be sure to cook on low pressure if you’re not using water.
Hi, I love your site and have enjoyed making your delicious recipes! The food turns out fantastic, almost as good as ammi’s home cooking (which is high praise!). I had a question about this one — I don’t have any dried chili peppers so can I sub chili powder instead? or fresh green serranos? We like to keep the spicy level fairly low so the kids can eat as well. Thanks again!
Thank you, Zehra! Yes, chili powder or red chili flakes would be great substitutes! A small serrano would also work!
Hi sister
There doesn’t seem to be any water mentioned in the ingredients list or directions but you mention it elsewhere. How much water if any should be added?
Hi Theo, no water added to the Instant Pot as the yogurt itself has enough liquid to cook the meat. The water I’ve mentioned is to dilute the vinegar.
I’ve made this at least 4 times now. Comes out amazing every time and with minimal effort. It really helped while I was fasting and didn’t feel like spending too much time in the kitchen. Just dump everything and go..my kind of recipe lol. And as usual, the instructions and notes are very thorough.
That’s awesome. Thank you so much, Aiysha! What a nice comment and I’m so glad you like it.
As the cousin whose mom in law introduced this recipe, I can vow that this recipe is just as good if not even better than the original. Thank you for blessing my taste buds with this simple, yet extremely flavorful dish. My husband and I both nearly cried happy tears, it was THAT good! :’)
Hahaha awww Love it!!! 🙂 🙂
I made this while I was fasting and followed the recipe exactly, it came out absolutely perfect. Your recipes are consistently a hit, I swear by them.
Amazing comment. So nice to hear that, Sana! Thank you so much!
Absolutely loved this recipe!! Just like all the others 😀 Ridiculously easy to make and yet so delicious and comforting.
Aw thanks so much, Kiran!
Thnx so much fr sharing all your delicious recipes..I’ve tried the vet.curry..and will also try the other ones.and congrats on your beautiful new baby boy!!!!!!!
Thank you very much!