Tawa pulao is a delicious and flavor packed street food from Mumbai. Made with precooked rice, pav bhaji masala and vegetables.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 5 minutes
  • Cook time: 25 minutes
  • Total time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 1
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

  • ½ cup basmati rice (uncooked) (or (1½ cups cooked rice))
  • 1 tablespoon butter (or oil)
  • ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
  • ¼ cup onions (fine chopped, (medium size))
  • 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
  • ⅓ cup tomatoes (or 1 large, ripe, chopped)
  • ⅓ to ½ teaspoon salt ((adjust to taste))
  • ¾ to 1 tablespoon pav bhaji masala ((adjust to taste))
  • ½ tsp red chili powder (or paste (optional))
  • ¼ cup capsicum (chopped)
  • 2 tablespoon water
  • 2 tablespoons coriander leaves (for garnish)
  • 1 small potato ((diced to ½ inch pieces))
  • ½ small carrot ((diced to ½ inch pieces))
  • 3 green beans ((French beans, chopped to ½ inch))
  • ¼ cup green peas ((frozen or boiled if using fresh peas))

Method

Preparation

  1. Wash rice well a few times until the water runs clear. Soak the rice for 30 mins and drain the water.
  2. Cook the rice with 1 cup water in a pot, on a low heat until fully cooked - al dente. If you want you can also cook in a cooker. Cool the rice completely.
  3. Wash and chop onions, tomatoes & capsicum. Set these aside.
  4. Wash and cube potatoes, beans and carrots.
  5. Boil or steam potatoes, beans, green peas and carrots until fork tender and not mushy. (Pour 1 cup water to a cooker or steamer, add the vegetables to a bowl and place them over a steel rack in the cooker. Cover and let steam for 15 to 20 mins)

How to Make Tawa Pulao

  1. Heat butter/oil in a pan, add cumin and let them sizzle.
  2. Add onions, fry them till transparent. Add ginger garlic paste, fry till a nice aroma comes out & the raw smell disappears.
  3. Next add tomatoes and salt. Fry till tomatoes turn mushy. Add pav bhaji masala and red chili powder or chili paste.
  4. Next add capsicum and saute for 2 to 3 mins. Pour 2 tbsp of water and cook the masala until water evaporates.
  5. Add the boiled vegetables. Mix well. Stir in the cooked rice. Taste test and add more salt if required.
  6. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve tawa pulao hot.

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.