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 have a photo of your dish, please feel free to upload it and share with others. 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 pure brilliance! I literally dump everything into my pressure cooker and forget about it for the next 40 minutes! I mean, I say forget very lightly because the aroma from the kitchen is incredible. Thank you for this! ❤️
Ah so wonderful to hear that, Priyanka! Thanks so much! I love the dump-and-go aspect of it too! 🙂
Thank you for this ridiculously easy yet delicious recipe! I’ve made it a few times now to much acclaim, even on eid! Everybody loves it and thinks I’ve labored over it even though its honestly the easiest thing I’ve made, everytime lol.
I’ve even dried up the gravy by cooking it a bit more and used it as a filling for paratha rolls, adding onions and even cheese once! You’ve got to try it if you’re a fan of Karachi-style paratha rolls. Turns out amazing.
Thanks again, your recipes are super reliable and tasty everytime!
I’m so happy you liked it enough to make it again & again. Also, that’s such a great idea. I used them for ‘pulled beef’ tacos and we really enjoyed them but we’ll have to try the paratha rolls. Thanks for writing, Ramsha! I appreciate you taking the time to share and review!
Hey Izzah
I made it a couple of times it turns out amazing! Having guests come over tomorrow and I am thinking to triple the meat. I’m not good with quantities so like one pack has 10 or so pieces of meat with bone.. will three days packs be enough for the 2x recipe or will it be 3x?
And also I have meat with bone will it require same time ? Waiting for your reply
Hi Fyza, apologies for the late response. I think 3x would be good as it sounds like your pack has 1 lb of meat (depending on size). And yes, bone-in would require same amount of meat.
Asalamolaikum sis!
Looking forward to trying this tonight! If doubling the amount of beef cubes, should I double everything else?
Thanks so much!
W.S. Yes! Go ahead and double! You’ll just have to saute at the end a little longer.
After trying Beef Karhai from a different website, I decided to try out this one. Here in a foreign country, where I am craving for Desi foods (I don’t get them except in a restaurant), I simply had to.
It turned out so fantastic that is beyond my words. Exactly like I’ve tasted during Eid days. Though it took me a long time, more than three hours on my stove. But results were the same. Also, the beef broke, turned scrambled – while sauteing.
But the taste was unbeaten. Just as I wanted. As close as it could get, to the Pakistani restaurants.
Thank you for posting this!
So nice to hear that, Asif! I’ll try to test it on the stovetop to get a better idea for those without an Instant Pot. Thank you for sharing your review!!
Do you really not need any water or liquid for this recipe except the yogurt? Can anyone confirm?
That’s correct. The beef will cook in its own moisture + yogurt. In fact, it’ll have plenty of leftover moisture after pressure cooking.
Hi. Thanks for this delicious and easy recipe. The only thing for me is that after the sautéing at the end the beef was breaking apart. It basically had a pulled beef look. Would I minimize pressure time or natural release time to avoid that next time?
My pleasure, Shaba! You’re right – that shouldn’t happen. Yes, try minimizing time to 35 minutes and that should do the trick! It occured to me that you may have it on the MORE instead of Normal setting. That could be what’s causing it.
Hi Izzah, will this recipe work with chicken instead of beef? I’ll adjust the pressure time to what I normally use for chicken.
Hi Zoya! Yes, that sounds delicious! Only thing I can think of is I’d skip the vinegar. Would love to hear back if you try it!
Assalam aĺaykum, fìrst time using my instañþ pot, i wanted to aďd potatoes òr peas, when do I add them in? Jzk
W.S! To add potatoes, you’d have to either boil them separately or cancel pressure 40 minutes into cooking, add potatoes, and pressure cook again. For peas, you can add them in after cooking and simply sauteing them in the residual liquid will cook them.
Hi, How long should the beef be marinated in the vinegar and water?
Hi Shereen. I’d say anything from 10-30 mins is enough.
Oh wow!!! I am sooooooooooo excited to see this recipe, I can tell it is a wonderful recipe and the very next meal I make, I want it to be your recipe.. I will be reporting back. Thank you! Take care…
Thank you, Laura! I’m so glad you found it. One of my favs..Hope you get a chance to try!
Excellent recipe. I’d like to state an observation. Pakistani friends I have say iskool or sakool for school, and iscrew or sucroo for screw. What are the chances that ishtew (or ishtu) would by that convention, a variant of stew?
I agree with that observation! Thank you for sharing your thoughts and review!
I am new to Pakistani cooking (I’ve always left it up to my mom), so I was very nervous trying this out but everyone loved it!!! And this is a hard crowd to please so thank you for such an easy and delicious recipe!
You’re welcome, Ritz! Happy to help! Thanks for sharing your review!!