Tawa pulao is a popular Indian street food, especially in Mumbai. Best one pot meal, to make use of left over rice too. Buttery and flavourful with masalas.
Tawa pulao is totally new for me, I have not even heard about it until I saw in few blogs. Yet I didn’t go through the recipe and had no idea about the taste. Then while chatting with Aparna, she insisted few times to try and assured it comes out yummy. So I searched to know more about the recipe and found it is a famous Mumbai road side dish.
Then I asked my little co-sis if she had tasted that before as she lives north, but sadly she too hadn’t. So I was thinking for long time how it would taste. I image searched for tawa pulao to see how it really looks in the road side shops. It looked more tempting for me. And in a site I read that, it is made in the side of the same tawa where the bhaji is being kept bubbling.
They add some rice to the tawa, include some bhaji and add in some extra butter, masala powders to jazz it up and serve instantly. I saw a picture as well, of the same. It looked more appealing for me. But when we want to make it from scratch, it is a bit different. I finally made it today for lunch and loved it. Aj too had that without any complains. This is best to make use of the left over rice. So do try when you had some leftover rice and yet we add veggies to it, so a perfect one pot meal for lazy day! While browsing, I found this recipe from this blog and adapted it. Check out vada pav recipe
Tawa pulao
Equipments (Amazon Affiliate links)
- Pan
- knife
- chopping board
Ingredients
- 1 cup Basmati rice - 1 cup
- 1 cup Carrot, beans, frozen peas chopped
- 2 Onion
- 1 tsp Ginger garlic paste
- 2 Green chilli
- 2 Tomato
- 1 Capsicum small
- 1½ tsp Red chilli powder
- 1½ Pav bhaji masala
- ¼ cup Coriander leaves chopped
- 2 tsp Lemon juice
- Salt - As needed
To temper
- 3 tbsp Butter
- 2 tsp Cumin seeds
- 1 pinch Asafoetida/ hing
Instructions
- Soak basmati rice for 30 mins. Pressure cook with salt for 3 whistles (1 & ¼ cup watein medium flame after 1st whistle and once done, fluff it, cool it, set aside.
- Heat a pan with butter, temper with cumin and add hing. Add thinly sliced onions and fry till transparent.
- Add ginger garlic paste and fry for a minute in medium flame.Add finely chopped tomatoes with chilli, little salt and fry till soft.
- I microwaved the veggies for 2 mins with a tbsp of water to cook it. But you can add as such to tomatoes and cook covered too. Add the veggies and fry for 2 minutes.
- Add capsicum and fry for a minute. Add coriander leaves, red chilli and pav bhaji powders, mix well.
- Cook until oil separates and add the lemon juice, mix well.
- Add the cooked rice finally mix carefully without breaking the rice. You can mix after switching off the flame.
Notes
- I liked the addition of hing in this recipe, though I could not find any flavor of it.
- Make sure to look for salt, we add it in rice and while cooking tomatoes too.
Balance the salt, tanginess, spiciness, you will get this rice perfect taste. - The original recipe says - Butter gives best taste. Also they have asked to mash the veggies, which I didn’t do.
Tawa pulao method:
-
- Soak basmati rice for 30 mins. Pressure cook with salt for 3 whistles (1 & ¼ cup water) in medium flame after 1st whistle and once done, fluff it, cool it, set aside.
- Heat a pan with butter, temper with jeera and add hing. Add thinly sliced onions and fry till transparent.
- Add ginger garlic paste and fry for a minute in medium flame.Add finely chopped tomatoes with chilli, little salt and fry till soft.
- I microwaved the veggies for 2 mins with a tbsp of water to cook it. But you can add as such to tomatoes and cook covered too. Add the veggies and fry for 2 minutes.
- Lastly add capsicum and fry for a minute. Add coriander leaves, red chilli and pav bhaji powders, mix well.
- Cook until oil separates and add the lemon juice, mix well.
- Add the cooked rice finally mix carefully without breaking the rice. You can mix after switching off the flame.
Serve hot with raw onions, coriander leaves garnished and a dash of lemon juice too.
so colorful and tasty one pot meal
Hi, I don't have pav bhaji powder. Can i substitute it with something else?
Will be trying for today. Thanks for this post.
Looks awesome. … mouth watering
nice idea with leftovers… Colorful pic
Looks spicy too… u meant "hing" in the notes?
Wow pulao with pav bhaji flavour looks so inviting:-)
love the presentation of puloa in that kadai. very restaurent like. vibrant pics!
Looks amazing Raks. There are so many versios of the Tawa Pulav…I love the one by Dassana too! As usual amzing pics.
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One of my favourites …looks perfect
Nice to see the authentic Mumbai street food post from you Raks. Hope u enjoyed the meal with your family.
Thanks for sharing this easy and quick recipe. Will try it for lunch.
mouthwatering pulao…
oh u must taste it raks,its mouth watery.My 6 yr old daughter loves it so make it very often. I never miss to try whenever I visit north side.
I made this over the weekend… Only thing I reduced the chilli powder and increased pav bhaji powder…and it was awesome!!!
Very nice and colourful
Looks delicious…will try it out..
Any substitute for Pav bhaji powder??
Pav bhaji masala is main ingredient. But any masala powder like kitchen king masala also should go fine.
Dear Raks,
Yours is one awesome food blog with nice and clear illustrations and easy to follow recipes. Keep up the good work.
Btw, I tried this recipe for lunch and it tasted fantastic.
Thanks,
Sindhu
What brand of basmati do u buy here in Sg? I tried few but never get the Long strands as seen in your pic
What brand of basmati rice do u buy here in Sg? I tried few varieties and still don't get the Long strands as seen in your pic.
I use Lal qilla mostly, or at times india gate.
No basmati rice Nirmal rice okay uh
can i use south Indian rice instead of basmati?
Sure, just make sure the grains are separate
Ya you can add garam masala or vegetable masala instead
Ya u can add garam masala or vegetable masala instead
I tried out this recipe and it turned out great!Thank you for the lovely recipe and pictorial guide.:)