This Baked Tawa Pulao - Indian Spiced Rice casserole needs just 1 Pan and 1 step! Dump and done bake with veggies and warming Indian spices. Gluten-free nutfree soyfree

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 15 minutes
  • Cook time: 35 minutes
  • Total time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 4
  • Category: Side
  • Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

  • 1 cup white basmati rice (rinsed really well and soaked for at least 10 minutes.)
  • 1 teaspoon oil
  • 2 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1-2 teaspoon garam masala (or Pav bhaji masala)
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
  • ½ teaspoon dried dill (or use oregano)
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon paprika (, for extra heat also add ¼ teaspoon cayenne)
  • 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder or use paprika
  • ½ to ¾ teaspoon salt
  • 2 bay leaves
  • ¼ cup tomato puree
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 ½ to 2 cups of vegetable of choice (you can use frozen vegetables, thaw them for at least 10 minutes before using)
  • Cilantro and lemon juice for garnish

Method

  1. Wash and soak the rice, if you haven’t already. Prep the rest of the ingredients. Brush oil in a 8x10 or a similar size baking dish, then add drained rice and the rest of the ingredients and mix well and even it out.
  2. Cover with parchment and bake at 400F (205C) for 30-35 minutes. Check at the 30 minute mark if the rice is done, if not then continue to bake it for another 5–8 minutes and then check again. Rice will continue to cook in the heat so you want it to be just about done.
  3. Then take the dish out of the oven, let it sit covered for another 3-4 minutes.
  4. Then fluff the rice with a spatula or fork. Taste and adjust salt and flavor, you can add salt while fluffing and then serve. Serve with non dairy yogurt raita Or serve it as a side with Indian curries or dal (lentils)

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.