Tawa Pulao (Mumbai Style)
Tawa pulao is a popular Mumbai street food of rice and vegetables sauteed together with pav bhaji masala and other spices-herbs.
- Prep time
- 45 min
- Cook time
- 15 min
- Yield
- 3 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
- 1 cup basmati rice (or long grained rice)
- 4 cup water (for cooking the rice)
- 2 to 3 drops of oil
- salt as required
- 1 medium green bell pepper ((capsicum) - chopped)
- 2 large tomatoes (or 150 grams tomatoes - chopped)
- 1 medium onion (or 50 grams onions- chopped)
- 1/2 inch ginger + 2-3 garlic (- made into a paste in a mortar-pestle or 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste)
- 1/4 tsp red chili powder (or add as required)
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
- 2 tsp Pav Bhaji Masala (or add as required)
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 tbsp butter (or oil or half-half of both)
- 1 small to medium carrot (- chopped)
- 1 medium potato (- chopped)
- 1/2 cup green peas (- fresh or frozen)
- 1/2 tsp lemon juice (or as required)
- a few chopped coriander leaves ((cilantro leaves) or parsley leaves)
- salt as required
Instructions
- 1
Rinse the rice grains till the water runs clear of starch. Rinsing for a while, you will come to a stage when the water will become transparent during the rinse. If there is starch in the water, then the rice becomes sticky.
- 2
Soak the rice in enough water for 20-30 minutes. Drain and then add the rice to a pot.
- 3
Pour 4 cups of water in the rice. Add salt and few drops of oil.
- 4
Stir. Cover and cook the rice till the rice grains are cooked well.
- 5
The rice grains should be separate also cooked well.
- 6
If the water begins to froth pushing the lid, then remove the lid or partly cover the pot with lid and cook the rice.
- 7
Don't cook the rice too much or make them mushy. This will spoil the texture of the pulao.
- 8
In a strainer, add the cooked rice and let all the water drain away.
- 9
Gently fluff the rice with a fork.
- 10
Once all the steam has passed from the rice, cover the rice with a lid so that the rice grains on top don't dry out.
- 11
Let the rice cool and you can proceed with the rest of the recipe.
- 12
Steam the carrot, potato and green peas till all of them are cooked well in a steamer, pan or pressure cooker.
- 13
Peel and chop the carrot and potatoes. Keep aside.
- 14
In a pan or kadai/wok melt the butter. Add the cumin and fry them till they get browned.
- 15
Add the finely chopped onions and saute till translucent.
- 16
Add the ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw aroma goes away.
- 17
Then add the finely chopped tomatoes and bell pepper (capsicum).
- 18
Stir and add all the spice powders - turmeric, red chili powder and pav bhaji masala.
- 19
Stir again and saute the whole mixture till you see butter releasing from the sides.
- 20
Add the chopped potato, carrot and peas. Sprinkle salt and stir.
- 21
Add the cooked basmati rice and gently mix the veggies with the rice.
- 22
Garnish with coriander leaves and sprinkle some lemon juice on the tava pulao.
- 23
Serve tava pulao hot with onion tomato raita or cucumber raita or plain yogurt accompanied with papad and pickle.