In this Mumbai Style Tawa Pulao cooked rice and vegetables are stir fried in butter, pav bhaji masala, chilli-garlic paste and with other spices and fresh coriander. It has the buttery, spicy flavour of pav bhaji, but in a quick dish using pre-cooked rice.
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There is an even quicker method of making tawa pulao - simply tossing ready made pav bhaji with cooked rice.
However. I'm not a fan of this method.
Home cooked pav bhaji is quite heavy and strong. The ratio of gravy, vegetables and rice is all wrong so I much prefer making this dish from scratch.
This way, the vegetables retain their shape and colour, the spices are well balanced and the rice grains remain fluffy and separate.
To enhances the flavour and mimic the bright colour of street-style pulao, I add red chilli garlic paste made with kashmiri chillies.
In streets of Mumbai, you'll find street vendors preparing tawa rice on a huge flat tawa. At home, I simply use a wide frying pan or wok.
Tawa Pulao Main Ingredients
Full list with measurements in the recipe card below.
Rice - I like to use good quality sella basmati rice, which I also use in biryanis like my paneer vegetable dum biryani.
Sella rice holds it's shape well once cooked. If you don't have it, use any other basmati rice you have to hand. The important thing is to not overcook it and allow it to cool fully.
Vegetables - I have used carrots, green peas, onions, green bell pepper, potatoes, fresh tomatoes and cauliflower. Adjust depending on what you have.
Pav Bhaji Masala - this masala is non-negotiable for tawa pulao! I also use it in my tawa burger.
Butter - to achieve the same flavours and taste as Mumbai tawa pulao, loads of butter is necessary! Salted or unsalted works fine - just adjust your seasoning later.
A must for street style tawa pulao is a red chilli garlic paste prepared with soaked kashmiri chillies or fresh red chilies and garlic cloves.
Hayley's Tips
- Use a wide pan. It makes mixing easier and helps the rice cook evenly without clumping.
- Do not skip butter. It gives the pulao its street-food feel.
- Add chilli-garlic paste to taste. You do not need to use it all.
- Keep the vegetables with a little bite. They should not be mushy.
- Finish with lemon and kasuri methi. This wakes up the whole dish.
How To Make Homemade Tawa Pulao
- Step 1: Soak rice in cold water for at least 30 minutes.
- Step 2: Cook fluffy rice until al dente. Allow to cool completely.
The cooking time depends on the quality and the quantity of the rice.
For Sella rice I needed around 5-6 minutes.
Pro tip
The Secret to Perfect Rice
For the best results - ensure not to overcook your rice.
I personaly avoid using pressure cooker or instant pot. It is best to use an open pot to cook the rice. This way you can see how your rice is cooking and grains will remain separated.
A tip from my Mum is to add a few drops of oil and lemon juice to make fluffy rice.
If you have added too much water to cook the rice, cook rice until just al dente. Drain the water from the rice using a colander.
Let the rice cool completely before adding it to the sauteed veggies. For stir-fried rice dishes, I like I cook my rice a few hours before, cool completely and then store in the fridge until needed.
- Step 3: Soak dried red chillies in warm water.
- Step 4: Make a thick paste using the hydrated chillies and garlic.
Do not add much water as we need thick paste. Blend or pulse until you have thick and smooth paste.
- Step 5: Saute onions in butter with cumin and add the chilli paste and ginger-garlic puree.
- Step 6: Cook vegetables and spices in onion masala.
- Step 7: Add cooled rice.
- Step 8: Mix well, sprinkle chopped coriander before serving.
Serving Suggestions
Add a little extra butter on top, especially if you want that street-food feeling.
Tawa pulao is best served with classic cooling sides such as boondi raita or cucumber raita. You can also try this roasted tomato yogurt raita dip for a delicious twist! I like something crunchy like Indian onion salad.
If going full street style, pair with a sweet mango lassi made with mango pulp, plain chaas or masala soda.
Other Indian Street Food Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Tawa Pulao
Ingredients
Rice
- 1 cup rice sella basmati
- 5 cup water
Chili Garlic Paste
- 6 red chillies dry kashmiri
- 6 cloves garlic
Tawa Pulao
- ¼ cup butter
- 2 tablespoon oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 big onion cut
- 1 teaspoon ginger puree
- 1 teaspoon garlic puree
- ½ cup bell pepper green capsicum
- ¾ cup tomato cut
- 1 cup mix vegetables steamed - carrots,green peas, cauliflower
- 1 cup potato boiled, peeled and cut
- ¼ cup cabbage cut
- 2 tablespoon pav bhaji masala
- 1 teaspoon chili powder kashmiri - optional
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves kasoori methi
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
Topping/Garnish
- 3 tablespoon coriander chopped
- 2 wedges lemon optional
Instructions
Chili Garlic Paste and Soak Rice
- First make chili garlic paste. Soak dried chilies in hot boiling water in a bowl for at least 30 minutes.6 red chillies
- Rinse the rice in clear running water until waterturns clear. Soak washed rice in a bowl with cold tap water at least 20-25 minutes.1 cup rice
- Once chillies are soaked and hydrated, drain the water. Remove stem and add in the blender jar with garlic cloves. If you want less spicy paste, remove the seeds from the chili.6 cloves garlic
- Add very little water (2 tablespoon max) and blend until you have smooth thick paste. Leave it aside.
Cook Rice
- In a big pot or pan add water, add a tiny pinch of salt and few drops og oil.5 cup water
- Bring it to roaring boil, drain the water from the soaked rice.
- Add soaked rice into the boiling water.
- Keep heat on high. Do not cover the pan at all whilst rice is cooking.
- Cook rice until 95% done, rememeber not overcook the rice.
- Drain the water from the rice using a strainer. Leave it aside to cool at room temeprature.
- After a couple of minutes spread it in the big plate/tray to cool completely in less time.
Cook Tawa Rice
- In a frying pan, wok or large tawa add butter and oil on medium flame.¼ cup butter, 2 tablespoon oil
- Let the butter melt, then add cumin seeds.1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- Once cumin seeds splutter, add onion slices to it.1 big onion
- Fry the onions until light pink and translucents on mefium-high heat. It will take approximate 2 minutes or less.
- Then add ginger-garlic puree and chili garlic paste according to your taste.1 teaspoon ginger, 1 teaspoon garlic
- Cook the paste and onion mixture for 1 minute or so.
- Now add chopped tomatoes and capsicum, mix well and cook for 1 minute.½ cup bell pepper, ¾ cup tomato
- Add remaining vegetables, stir and cook for 2 minutes on medium-high heat.1 cup mix vegetables, 1 cup potato, ¼ cup cabbage
- Tip in pav bhaji masala, chili powder and turmeric powder and mix everything and cook everything further for 1 minute.2 tablespoon pav bhaji masala, 1 teaspoon chili powder, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- Add prepared rice and salt (it will be around 3 cups cooked rice) and mix with spices and vegetables. Mix gently on medium heat.salt
- Sprinkle crushed kasoori methi, coriander and lemon juice and mix well.1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves, 2 tablespoon lemon juice, 3 tablespoon coriander
- Serve tawa pulao hot.2 wedges lemon
Video
Notes
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
Share on Facebook Pin This RecipeNote – this recipe was posted on our blog on 10th March 2012, since I have updated the post with new content and pictures.
Jenny says
This came out fantastic. My first Indian food attempt was a great hit, such great flavors. I love your site. You have awesome recipes! Thanks so much!
Lauren Michael Harris says
This was such a delicious dish and healthy too! My family loved it and asked that I put it on regular rotation for dinner.
NATALIA says
Tried tawa pulao for dinner tonight and it was amazing! Skipped capsicum and added sweetcorn and green beans, as you suggested. Thanks for this delicious recipes, Hayley!
Erin says
I had never had this before, but I thought rice + potatoes - what's not to love?! It was SO good. Thank you!
Pam says
This recipe has replaced our old fried rice recipe! We love the flavors and I especially love trying it with different recipes!
mikayla says
This recipe will make anyone happy to eat a vegetarian dish, I threw the kitchen sink of vegies in with everything. The rich spices and rice enhanced it all to make a meal to enjoy and want for more.
Megan Ellam says
Absolutely amazing! Comfort food at its best.
Sharon says
After trying this recipe I am now going to have to keep leftover rice in my refrigerator at all times so I can make this in a hurry for lunch or easy dinners. So good!
veenaazmanov says
This is definitely a One Pot Meal. Bursting with spices and flavors and veggies too.
anjana says
Delicious and spicy pulao..nice recipe...
San says
Iam feeling hungry now jags. That's a one pot meal.
Aruna Manikandan says
looks delicious dear 🙂
Tina says
pulav looks delicious....