Tawa Pulao | Mumbai Street Style Tawa Pulao

Tawa pulao is a spicy rice in Mumbai made with pav bhaji spices and vegetables sauteed with rice. This is also popular as pav bhaji rice. It's vegan and gluten-free.

Again, this tawa pulao is one of my favorite recipes. I loved the pulao I made today—mouth-watering indeed. My pulao was no less than real street food available in any pav bhaji stall. In fact, I loved my home-cooked pulao.

Well, tawa pulao, as the name says, is rice cooked on a tawa or pan. Pre-cooked or leftover rice is stir-fried on a tawa or skillet, along with some vegetables and aromatic spices.

This tastes similar to pav bhaji as we use pav bhaji masala to season this rice. Again, onion, tomato, and capsicum are necessary to bring in that flavor of pav bhaji.

Masala Pav and tawa pulao are two dishes made in a similar way to pav bhaji, with a slight variation in method and ingredients. These three items are the most popular street food in Mumbai. So, if you find a pav bhaji stall nearby, you will get all three items in one place.

Tawa Pulao | Mumbai Street Style Tawa Pulao recipe with step-by-step photos.

The essential ingredients for these three items are onion, tomatoes, capsicum, lemon juice, and pav bhaji masala. You can add the rest of the vegetables as per your choice or availability. Traditionally, chili paste is made for this recipe to add heat and color to the rice. However, you can skip the chili paste if you don't want it to be very spicy.

For example, I have added only green peas to this rice, but you can also add cauliflower, green beans, potatoes, and carrots. I have not added other vegetables to prepare this pulao quickly (to save some time).

I must say this is also an excellent tiffin box recipe for kids and adults. Adjust the chilli part as per requirement and taste. It's a quick dish that will take less than 30 minutes to prepare.

Here are a few tips to get the perfect pulao:

1. One tip: never overcook rice and vegetables.

2. Add green vegetables like peas and bell peppers to retain their natural color.

3. If you are making this for special occasions, add some more veggies, such as potatoes, carrots, cauliflower, and even paneer.

4. Adding fresh peas might take longer than adding frozen ones. So, make some intelligent guesswork regarding timing while adding other vegetables.

How to make tawa pulao (under 30 minutes)?

I have used pre-cooked steamed rice. You need to cook rice separately for this recipe, but you can even use leftover rice.

Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds and let them splutter. Now add ginger-garlic paste and saute for 10 - 15 seconds. Then add chopped onion and saute till onion turns translucent.

Add chopped tomatoes and green peas. Cook until soft, covered with a lid, for 5 minutes. Add all spices and salt.

Now add ½ cup water and simmer for 2 minutes. At this stage, add chopped capsicum or bell pepper. Add lemon juice.

Add cooked rice and chopped coriander leaves once you reach a little saucy consistency.

Give it a nice stir. Garnish with some more coriander leaves and serve hot. Serve it with plain curd or raita.

Recipe Card For Tawa Pulao

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