Indian Street Tawa Pulao Recipe | Mumbai Food

Tawa Pulao is a popular Indian street food, made with pav bhaji masala. It’s called tawa pulao because typically, the street food joints cook it up in the same tawa and with the same ingredients as the pav bhaji. So that you know, this is actually a ‘jugad’ food. All in all, it’s Indian style spicy rice.

There is no mandatory, “have to” quotient in this recipe, you can use the pav bhaji masala or not. You can make it in a tawa or not. I am sharing this with you because first of all my Indian vegetarian food blog will be incomplete without it, and secondly because I loved it when I had it in Mumbai, and have not found it in Kolkata.

This is a very good hack to do something interesting with your left over rice, and doesn’t require any prep work, unlike Biriyani or other Pulao. Cooking rice in the tawamay be troublesome for many, it is not significant that you “have to” cook in a tawa. It’s just a random phrase.

It’s a spicy treat, and a complete meal altogether. I have added a host of veggies, capsicum, carrots, potato, green peas, to make it wholesome, and also, added a bit of ghee that gives it a luxurious aroma. Personally, I wouldn’t like the absolute pav bhaji masala flavor in a rice dish I liked it in the food joint, but not the one that I made. I wonder what I missed. So then I did a little bit of customization on my own, and used my own spice blends. And today, I am sharing with you my version that I actually liked. Though I am inspired to make this recipe by Hebbar’s recipe of this pulao.

I should also mention that my hubby was one to point out that this was not a real tawa pulao.  I realize he is right. But the street food joints usually make it with vanaspati or reused oil, which won’t be surprising if it were centuries old! I am not at all sorry “not to” provide this. Whatsoever, you can use normal vegetable oil or butter, and chuck the ghee. Mustard oil will make it too pungent.

One more thing is the rice. This recipe is most enjoyable with long grain or basmati rice. If you are using left over rice, then use as little water as you can. You don’t want your rice to be soggy. This is an ideal dinner item; serve it with some dry curry, or vegetable kebab or paneer steak. Since this rice itself is quite spicy, have something light to go with it.

Equipment Used:

Prestige Pan

How to make Tawa Pulao:

• Heat ghee and oil in a non stick pan, once it becomes hot add cumin seed and let it crackle and sauté till it turns brown.

• Add finely chopped onion and sauté on medium flame till it becomes translucent.

• Add ginger garlic paste/ freshly crushed ginger garlic and saute it again for few seconds till raw aroma goes away.

• Add finely chopped carrot, potato and green peas , mix it well . Add salt to taste to make the cooking fast, mix it well and cover the lid and cook the veggies on medium flame till it becomes soft. It takes around 5 minutes to get cooked.

• Uncovered the lid after 5 minutes and add finely chopped tomatoes, capsicum and mix it well.

• Now cover the lid again and cook tomatoes till it becomes soft and mushy. You can also cook it without covering

• After 2-3 minutes uncovered the lid and put all the spices- pav bhaji masala, red chilly powder, turmeric powder, stir and cook it for 2 minutes.

• If the mixture becomes dry add 3 tbsp of water and cook it for 2minutes.

• Add cooked rice and mix it gently until all the rice grain gets evenly coated with masala. I have added salt while cooking the veggies so add salt accordingly and mix it well.

• Lastly add few drops of lemon juice, freshly chopped coriander leaves, mix it well.

• Turn off the flame and transfer tawa pulao in a serving dish.
• Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with plain yogurt or any raita, papad, pickle and salad

Note:

• You can use butter also to make tawa pulao but I have used ghee and oil both for better taste.
• You can add boiled or steamed carrot, peas and potato. If you are using boiled veggies then add after the step of cooking tomatoes.
• It is not necessary to add water in the mixture but if in case the mixture is dry then add little water, do not add too much of water otherwise rice will become soggy.
• I have not added green chilly but to make it spicy add as per your taste.