Street-style Tawa Veg Masala Burger – Indian Sloppy Joes!
Tawa Burgers are a modern Indian-fusion street food consisting of soft burger buns stuffed with a vegetable masala filling. These burgers are then toasted whole in a buttery masala, all prepared on a searing hot Tawa. Cubes of cheese or paneer is often added to the filling. Tawa Burgers appear to originate in Hyderabad in an eatery called Shalimar Tiffins. Their version is known as the Tawa Premium Burger. I call these Indian-style Sloppy Joes because of the similarities between the way the fillings spill out of the buns.
Indian Tawa Recipes
You can find a variety of Tawa recipes in Indian cuisine with some of the most popular being Tawa Pulao, Tawa Vegetables, Masala Pav, Tawa Paneer Masala and Pav Bhaji. Often, these dishes are prepared on Indian street food carts directly on the tawa used to make Pav Bhaji so many of these recipes when recreated at home will contain Pav Bhaji masala.
Difference between veggie burgers and Tawa Burgers
Veggie burgers are made with plenty of chopped vegetables, often beans and are formed into patties which are firstly cooked then layered into burgers. Tawa Burgers are made up of a looser mixture that is spooned in between burger buns.
Why you should make this recipe:
Easy to make Easily adaptable Can be made in advance Nut-free Can be easily made gluten-free Protein-rich without requiring meat substitutes Does not require you to make burger patties Soft and easy to eat Most importantly – they are ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!
Vegan Tawa Burger – why use tofu?
I’ve seen many recipes out there on social media that use paneer or cheese (or even a combo of them both!) but I wanted to make a plant-based version for those who are vegan or avoiding cheese/dairy for other reasons. Tofu is often used to veganise cheese based recipes and I find that it works as a brilliant alternative in this recipe. Tofu holds in shape well and in similarity to paneer, does not melt. It is high in protein similar to paneer and cheese without the fat content. As a result, the burger remains light, lower in calories but still full of that all important flavour. You could call it a healthy paneer burger!
Vegan Tofu Tawa Masala Burger Ingredients
Tofu – firm tofu is the perfect vegan replacement for paneer or cheese. Drain the tofu either using a tofu press or plenty of kitchen towels and a weight. Grate the tofu prior to use or make tofu crumbs in a food processor Potato – I have used a small amount of mashed white potato to help bulk and bind the filling. Usual recipes of tawa burger contain cheese which helps to bring together the filling however tofu does not have such properties. Alternatively, use mashed potato powder or flakes. Onion and garlic – use fresh where possible, chop finely or use a food processor but do not make a puree as we want the filling to be chunky. Peppers – you can use any colour bell pepper but green or yellow is best as red can be sweeter Tomato – finely chopped fresh tomatoes are best but you could also use tinned chopped tomatoes Rolls – either baps (soft Scottish bread rolls) or soft white rolls are best. Use large rolls where possible to give room for the filling. You could also use crusty bread rolls but they will be harder to eat. Some supermarkets sell rolls that are ready sliced, you can use these but I prefer to keep one side of the rolls intact so I cut them myself. Butter – we have used unsalted vegan butter. I unsalted because I will season with salt later in the prep to my liking. Oil – we have used olive oil which is suitable for cooking. You can also use sunflower or vegetable oil which do not have strong flavours. Fresh coriander leaves – fresh coriander leaves are added in both the filling and to toast the burgers
Tawa Burger Spices
Schezwan Sauce – Schezwan sauce is used both in the filling and to toast the burger prior to serving. I like to use my own homemade sauce which tastes really fresh and is also made according to my spice preference. If you do not have this sauce, then use chilli sauce alone. Tomato Ketchup – a small squeeze of tomato ketchup adds some tartness and balances out the spicy Schezwan sauce. If using tinned tomatoes, you can leave out the extra tomato ketchup. Chilli sauce – I added a little bottled chilli sauce but you can leave this out if you want. Pav Bhaji Masala – Pav Bhaji Masala is commonly found in “tawa” recipes. Good Pav Bhaji Masala will contain dagad na phool, or black stone flower which gives it the unique flavour. Red chilli powder and turmeric
Tawa Burger alternative vegetarian fillings
You do not need to be restricted to one type of recipe – the beauty of these burgers is that the base remains the same and you can add different vegetables and different proteins to suit you.
add finely diced carrots – they’re a low water content veg meaning they will not release much moisture plus, it adds little bits of colour to the burger filling. instead of burger buns, serve in pittas or naans. You can also find plant-based or free-from Vegan Brioche buns in most supermarkets spread vegan mayo on the inside of the buns Use dairy butter instead of vegan butter if you are not strictly vegan but want to avoid cheese You can also add more layers to the burger like tomatoes and red onion slices.
Tawa Paneer Burger
Tawa Paneer Burger or Tawa Cheese Burger is the most popular version of Tawa Burgers. Paneer and cheese is either melted into the masala vegetable filling or grated over the filling during assembly. For this recipe, you will need 100g of cubed/grated paneer and 100g of grated cheese. You can use any cheese variety that you like. Add the paneer and cheese just before adding the potato to make it easy to mix. The burger filling should be taken off the heat so that the cheese simply melts and does not become stringy.
Tawa Bean Burger
These burgers will also be vegan if adding cooked beans to the filling instead of the tofu. You can add beans such as red kidney beans, borlotti beans, black beans, butter beans, cannellini beans or pinto beans. Add as a direct replacement to the tofu in this recipe.
Gluten-free Tawa Burger
The filling of this Tawa Burger can be gluten-free if using gluten-free Schezwan sauce (you can easily make this at home by using tamari instead of soy sauce) You can also buy gluten-free rolls from most supermarkets.
Equipment required
Tawa – what is a tawa?
A tawa is an Indian style frying pan that is round and either flat or very shallow. They are mostly made from cast iron but you can also find sheet iron, steel or aluminium. The tawa can be inverted and used to cook flat breads like Gujarati rotlis and paratha. Indian street food vendors can use the properties of the Tawa to their advantage as the centre of the tawa heats more than the sides. This way, dishes can be prepared adjacent to each other depending on their cooking times. Note: If you do not have a tawa then use a non-stick frying pan which will achieve the same results.
Serrated knife/bread knife
A serrated knife has a series of teeth on the edge of the blade. Bread knives have serrated blades. A good serrated knife means you can cleanly slice the rolls in half without damaging the bread. They work by slicing through food that have a hard exterior and softer interior. We want to leave one side of the rolls intact as this makes the burgers easier to assemble.
How to make Tawa Tofu Burger
Note – we have not used a tawa in the video but rather a non-stick frying pan A few steps are required:
How to prepare Tawa Burger filling:
Ensure your tofu is well drained prior to using as soggy tofu will cause moisture to be released when cooking. Grate the tofu or make crumbs using a food processor. Ensure your pan is big enough as there will be a lot of stirring involved! Saute the onion and garlic in oil and butter (you can either use butter and oil or just butter at this point) Add the peppers when the onions have softened just slightly. This gives the peppers ample time to soften without the onion starting to burn Add the tomatoes and once they have also started to go soft, add the sauces. You can add the sauces depending how spicy you want the burgers. Keep the heat low as you add the sauces so that the mixture does not burn. Mix in the spices and masalas. Tip in the tofu and potatoes and salt. I like to add salt once all of the ingredients are in the pan as it gives me a better indication of how much salt I will need to add. Give everything a good stir to incorporate the spices with the tofu. Add the finely chopped coriander leaves
How to slice rolls perfectly without crumbling or squashing the bread
Now its time for the assembly! Use a serrated knife to slice the bread rolls in half perfectly. You will only need slight side to side motion and the knife will glide through the bread rolls. Keep one side of the roll intact so that once the burgers are filled, the burgers stays together. At this point, you could spread a layer of green chutney or mayo or whichever condiment you fancy to one side of the rolls. Spoon in the mixture. Do not overfill as the burger will not close. Push the mixture together so that it forms a mass. Clean the sides of the rolls Add salad at this point if you wish to.
Toast the burger
Heat the same pan you used earlier and add a knob of butter and a little glug of oil. Add a spoon of schezwan sauce and coriander. Once the butter is melted and bubbling, coat the burger entirely in the mixture and toast all over. I prefer to do this in batches so I melt a bit of butter for around 2-3 burgers before repeating. This ensures the mixture does not burn and the burger does not soak up too much of the butter.
Serving Suggestion
Serve hot for the best experience. As these have plenty of their own flavour, you can totally serve alone with a soda or fizzy drink. But if you want something a little bit more, then a minty green chutney goes great! I love mine with Kenyan style masala chips for a full burger and chips meal. A tall glass of mango and lime lassi will be so cooling alongside it. If you fancy something fizzy, then a Virgin Cardamom Mojito is the one! You can also serve with potato crisps or other fried snacks.
Storage
Fridge – prep the filling in advance and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the fridge. You can also keep leftover burgers in the fridge for up to 2 days. I cover them with either foil or clingfilm to keep the burger intact. Reheat in the oven or toast on a pan/tawa to revive. Freezer – you can make the filling and freeze. Allow to defrost either at room temperature or use a microwave.
Other Indian Street Food Recipes
Bread Pakora with Aloo and Chutney Stuffing Indian Masala Chips/Fries Ultimate Papdi Chaat Kutchi Dabeli Gujarat Na Daal Vada Gujarati Batata Vada Best ever Bhel Puri As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations! Don’t forget to follow me on social media using the buttons below – I can’t wait to see you all there!
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