Tawa Pulao Recipe-Mumbai Street Food-Sunday Lunch Recipes Series 23

Tawa Pulao is a most popular Indian street food in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It’s a very easy and quick rice dish with the goodness of mixed vegetables. Yesterday I wanted to make a quick biryani recipe for our lunch as we had plans for shopping.

When I was talking to my friend Megha, she suggested me to try Tawa pulao. I quickly browsed through few street food videos in you tube & referred some websites. I found Pav bhaji masala powder is the star ingredient of this recipe. I

n Mumbai street food shops, it is made instantly by mixing cooked rice with pav bhaji masala sauteed in a blob of butter. It is served with finely chopped onions, coriander leaves and a wedge of lemon. If you have some left over rice(need not be basmati) and some pav bhaji masala powder in hands, making this recipe would be a breeze. You can make this for your kids by adding paneer and extra butter.It’s a good lunch box and a bachelor friendly recipe too. The spice level of this pulao can be adjusted according to your taste buds.

So lets check out how to make this simple and easy Tava Pulao recipe in my Sunday lunch Recipes Series–23. If you are interested to see my other recipes in this series,please click this link.

Also check out my Pav bhaji and Mumbai Pav sandwich recipes.

Tawa pulao recipe

Tawa pulao recipe Tawa Pulao – Mumbai’s most popular street food

Cuisine: North Indian

Category: Lunch box recipes

Serves: 3

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 30 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup = 250 ml

Basmati rice – 1 cup ( I used India gate)
Water – 1.75 cups
Salt – as needed
Lemon juice – few drops
Finely chopped mixed vegetables – 3/4 cup ( Carrot,beans,peas)
Big onion – 1 no ( finely chopped)
Ginger & Garlic paste – 1 tsp
Capsicum – 1/4 no
Tomato – 2 nos ( small)
Red chilli powder – 1/2 tsp
Pav bhaji masala powder – 1-1.5 tsp
Coriander leaves – to garnish
Lemon juice – few drops

To temper

Cooking oil or butter – 2 tbsp
Cumin seeds/Jeera – 1/2 tsp

HOW TO MAKE TAWA PULAO – METHOD

Wash the basmati rice twice or thrice to remove the starch. Take the rice in a pressure cooker and add 1.75 cups of water, few drops of lemon juice ,oil and required salt.
Switch on the stove and start to chop the vegetables( 1 small carrot, 5 beans, a handful of green peas). By the time, the water starts to boil, you can finish the chopping work. Take the veggies in a small bowl and add very little water ( say 3 tbsp). Keep this bowl inside the cooker and pressure cook the rice and vegetables together in low flame for one whistle. In the mean time, chop the onions, capsicum and tomato .Open the cooker after the steam is released.

Remove the vegetable bowl and fluff the rice with a fork. Transfer it to a plate and let it cool down.

Heat oil in a kadai and when it gets heated , splutter jeera. Add onions,g&g paste and mix well till raw smell leaves.Now add the capsicum and saute well.

Lastly add the tomato and mix till it becomes mushy.Add the turmeric powder,salt,pav bhaji masala powder,red chilli powder.Mix well till oil leaves the kadai.Now add the cooked vegetables and mix well.Lastly all the cooked rice and mix well.

Sprinkle few drops of lemon juice and garnish with lots of coriander leaves. Enjoy with finely chopped raw onions ! You can also keep some raita or papad as side dish.

Note

Increase the quantity of red chilli powder if you want more spicy rice or add some finely chopped green chillies while sauting onion.
Here I did not soak the basmati rice.If u soak it for 30 minutes,use 1.5 cups of water for 1 cup of rice.
Using butter instead of oil enhances the taste of this dish.
Pav bhaji masala powder is the star of this dish.If you don’t have it in hand,replace it with garam masala or tandoori masala powder.But you have to compromise with the actual taste.