Having dietary restrictions on onion and garlic does not mean that we can not indulge in popular and delicious food. So, if you are looking for a street-style Mumbai Tawa Pulao without onion and garlic, this recipe is for you! Jump to:Street Food Style Tawa PulaoWhat To Love About This RecipeIngredientsHow To Make Tawa Pulao Step-by-Step Serving SuggestionsHelpful TipsMore Rice RecipesRecipe Card
Street Food Style Tawa Pulao
Tawa Pulao is a famous Mumbai street food consisting of rice and vegetables with butter and pav bhaji masala. This rice dish is spicy, buttery, bright, tangy, and full of flavors. As the name suggests, the entire dish is made on just one tawa. Tawa is a prevalent concave shape round pan in India, and there are lots of recipes made entirely on tawa. Especially some street foods like Tawa bhaji or Tawa Pulao, made on tawa, are trendy. I have made this Tawa Paneer recipe entirely using Tawa, which I got from India. But alternatively, we can make this dish using a frying pan or skillet as well. The recipe is easy and highly customizable. Make it as spicy as you prefer, and add as many or a few vegetables as you want. The best part of this Tawa Pulao is that we can make it with leftover rice as well. And if using leftover rice, this recipe becomes amazingly quick. The star of the dish is pav bhaji masala, so I would say it is a must for this pulao. If you decide to make the pulao less spicy, I will suggest reducing the amount of red chili powder and not skimping on pav bhaji masala. Similarly, the pulao made with butter tastes very delicious and flavorful. But if you follow a vegan diet, you can use oil instead of butter.
Ingredients
How To Make Tawa Pulao Step-by-Step
Cooking The Rice
Take one cup of rice in a bowl and rinse it with water a few times or until water runs clear of starch. Soak the rice in enough cold or room-temperature water for 20-30 minutes.
Then, drain the water completely and set the rice aside.
Boil 4-5 cups of water in a big pot. Add drained rice, salt, and oil to boiling water. Do not cover the pot with the lid; let the rice cook for about 10-12 minutes or until well cooked.
Keep an eye on the rice while cooking; we should not overcook the rice. If overcooked, then rice will be mushy and sticky. So make sure to boil rice just enough so each grain stays separate.
Once the rice is cooked, pour it on the strainer and remove all the water from the rice. Then, spread the rice on the big plate and let it cool completely.
Making The Tawa Pulao
Cook green peas in salted boiling water, drain, and set aside. You can use either fresh or frozen peas.
Heat butter or oil in a large non-stick pan or wok (or tawa if you have one) and add cumin seeds. You can also use half butter and half oil.
After the cumin seeds start sizzling, add grated ginger.
Saute for a few seconds, and then add chopped celery, green beans, and carrots. Cook them for about 2-3 minutes on medium-high heat.
Then add chopped cabbage and green pepper, and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring often.
Add chopped tomatoes and salt to taste, and mix well. Cook tomatoes until they are soft and mushy.
Add turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, and pav bhaji masala and mix well. Continue cooking for 2-3 minutes. If the vegetable mixture looks dry, add a tablespoon of water.
Then, with a potato masher, mash the tomato mixture lightly. The mixture will become mushy and pulpy.
Add boiled green peas, chopped coriander leaves, and Kasoori methi, and mix well.
Turn the heat on low, add cooked rice, and mix very gently so the rice grains do not break. Once everything is well combined, taste and adjust the salt as needed. Turn off the heat. Garnish the tawa pulao with more coriander leaves, squeeze the lemon juice, and serve.
Serving Suggestions
Tawa Pulao is very flavorful and can be served with plain yogurt. Or serve it with your choice of yogurt Raita, like Boondi Raita (Quick and Easy) or Cucumber Raita (Easy and Healthy). For a complete treat, serve Tawa Pulao as a side with Pav Bhaji.
