Tava Pulao / Mumbai Style Tawa Pulao Recipe

Tava Pulao is a delicious rice dish and a popular street food of India. Basically, it is a spicy lip-smacking pulao made with pre-boiled long grain rice like Basmati, Vegetables and Pav Bhaji masala and originated from the local Mumbai streets. As the name suggests, this pulao is made on a  tava/tawa/ flat griddle, usually used in Indian kitchens to make flat breads. Tawa pulao gets its unique taste from the generous amount of pav bhaji masala used to make it. Mumbai-style Tava pulao can be easily made at home with this quick and simple gluten-free recipe and makes a wholesome meal with some raita that can be packed in lunch boxes , served at pot-lucks and parties and just perfect for the busy mornings (if you have some left-over cooked rice at hand) .

What is Tava Pulao ?

Tawa Pulao is a spicy and flavorful rice dish which is prepared with lots of crunchy vegetables and generous amount of Pav Bhaji Masala. This pulao is typically made on a tawa or a large griddle, hence the name of the dish. Tawa Pulao is another quick-treat off the Pav-bhaji cart. The street vendors make this pulao on the tava that is used to make the bhaji. Pre-cooked rice is seasoned with pav bhaji masala and lots of crunchy vegetables on a griddle to make tava pulao. 

Can Tava Pulao be cooked only on a Tava?

Though typically tava pulao is cooked on a tava, it can be easily made in a pan or even an instant pot. The idea is to stir-fry the veggies well and toss the rice with the seasoned veggies without getting mushy. Make sure you add rice in batches and do not over-crowd the pan for best results.

What to serve with Tava Pulao ?

 Tawa pulao tastes good by itself and does not require any accompaniment. However, since the pulao is spicy, you may pair it with curd or raita of your choice to balance the heat.

Street Foods of Mumbai:

Mumbai is well known for its lip-smacking street foods , in fact it is paradise on earth for all the food lovers. People from all economical classes, eat from the road side food stalls in Mumbai. Here, you can find some of the best local foods, even better than the food served in many restaurants. One can spot hawkers selling a plethora of  snacks and meals at every nook and corner of Mumbai. Here are some of the famous street foods of Mumbai, that you can try out at home during the Corona lock-down period.

• Mumbai Pav Bhaji : One can find Pav Bhaji at almost every street corner of Mumbai. A quick snacks which can serve as a filling meal . Pav Bhaji consist of a spicy mix vegetable curry ( Bhaji in Marathi) served with butter toasted Pav Buns.

• Missal Paav : Misal Pav is a popular Maharashtrian snack and one of the famous Mumbai street foods. As the name suggests, the dish consists of Misal (a spicy curry usually made from sprouted moth beans) and Pav ( a type of Indian bread roll). 

• Kutchi Dabeli: Kutchi Dabeli is a famous street food of India, originating in the Kutch region of Gujarat and dabeli means pressed in Gujrati language, hence the name. It is spicy snack made by mixing boiled potatoes with a dabeli masala and putting the mixture between pav (burger bun) and served with chutneys made from tamarind, date, garlic, red chilies, and garnished with pomegranate and roasted peanuts.

• Sabudana Khichdi : Sabudana Khichadi is a delicious Indian snacks made from soaked sago (pearl tapioca ). It is a preferred food during fasts (vrat) like Ekadashi, Navratri and Mahashivratri. This typical Maharashtrian dish is also popular in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh and is served as street food in cities like Pune , Mumbai, Indore and Nagpur. 

• Kanda Bhaji : Onion fritters are known as Kanda Bhaji in Marathi. It is popular street food in Mumbai. Kanda means onion and bhaji means fritter in Marathi, and hence the name of this delicious snacks.

• Dahi Papdi Chaat : Dahi Papdi Chaat is a popular street food of India and is traditionally prepared using crisp fried dough wafers known as papri , along with boiled chick peas, boiled potatoes , yogurt and tamarind chutney and topped with chaat masala and sev.

Video Recipe of Tawa Pulao

                             

What goes into my version of Tava Pulao? The Ingredients:

• Boiled Basmati Rice: You can use any long grain rice to make this pulao. I have used Basmati rice. The key to a perfect Tava pulao is a well cooked yet non-sticky and non -mushy rice. The rice is ideally cooked in an open vessel in plenty of water until it is 90-95% cooked and then drained and allowed to cooled down completely before making this tava pulao. The rice grains should remain separated on cooking. A pre-cooked rice or a refrigerated left over rice from previous day works best.

• Vegetables: A typical Tava pulao will have sliced onions, capsicum, green peas and lots of tomatoes. However, you can use as many vegetables as you wish to make this pulao to make it a filling and wholesome dish. I have used onions, carrots, french beans, green peas, capsicum, tomatoes, green chilies and coriander. 

• Spice powders: Tava pulao gets its typical taste from the generous amount of Pav Bhaji Masala that is added to it. Use good quality pav bhaji masala for best results. Apart from that red chilli powder is added to this tava pulao.

• Ginger Garlic paste: I would highly recommend not skipping on ginger garlic paste as it adds a lovely aroma and flavor to the pulao.

• Butter: Tava Pulao is made in butter, however for a vegan version you may use any cooking oil of your choice.

• Cumin seeds: Cumin seeds is the only whole spice used in this tawa pulao. Butter is tempered with cumin seeds in this tawa pulao.

• Salt to Taste: 

                   

Related Event: # Tava Tales @ Foodie Monday Blog Hop

Linking this delicious Tava Pulao recipe to the 296th week event on our Facebook Gourmet group, Foodie Monday Blog Hop, where a bunch of passionate food bloggers share their culinary skills every Monday depending upon a pre-determined theme. The theme for this week was Tava Tales, suggested by our hostess, Kalyani. Meanwhile, do check out Kalyani's space for some wonderful recipes from  around the globe. I am in love with her easy-to-do vegan recipes and traditional South Indian recipes. You may want to check out her Tawa Paneer Tikka recipe.

                                         

Dietary Tips: This Mumbai Style Tawa Pulao is 

• Gluten-free
• Vegetarian rice dish
• Healthy
• Kid Friendly
• Indian Street Food
• Quick and simple
• Filling and wholesome meal

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 15 minutes (does not include the time for cooking rice)

Serves: 5

Ingredients: Measurements used 1 cup = 250 ml

• 2 cups pre-cooked (boiled and cooled down ) basmati rice* (refer recipe notes)
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup green peas, fresh or frozen
• 4-5 french beans, chopped to i inch long pieces
• 1 capsicum cubed
• 1 carrot , cubed
• 2 large tomatoes, finely chopped
• 2 green chilies, slit -optional
• 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh coriander 
• 2 tablespoon pav bhaji masala or as per taste
• 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
• 2 tablespoon butter
• Salt to taste

Method: 

1. Heat a tava or pan on medium flame. Add butter to it, lower the flame and add cumin seeds.
2. Once the cumin seeds crackle, add sliced onions and stir fry for a minute or so.
3. Next, add ginger garlic paste and saute until the raw smell goes off.
4. Now add the chopped carrots, french beans and capsicum. Stir-fry the veggies for good 2-3 minutes on medium to high flame.
5. Now add the frozen green peas and chopped tomatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the tomatoes become mushy.
6. Now lower the flame and season the veggies with red chili powder, salt and half of the pav bhaji masala. Give a good stir and add around 2-3 tablespoons of water and allow the spice powders to blend well with the veggies.
7. Now, add our pre-cooked rice and toss well with the seasoned vegetables. Add the remaining pav bhaji masala and stir-fry for around 4-5 minutes for the flavors to blend well.
8. Lastly add slit green chilies if using and finely chopped fresh coriander, give a good mix and stir-fry for another 1 minute, before putting off the flame.                

                                                                  

        9. Serve the delicious Tava pulao with lemon wedges and curd or raita of your choice and enjoy                  with your loved ones!

                              

Recipe Notes:

• How to cook rice for Tava Pulao? -  Take 1 cup basmati rice or any long grain rice , rinse thoroughly and soak for 20 minutes. Heat 4 cups water in a sauce pan and add salt and few drops of oil to it. Once the water comes to a rolling boil, add the drained rice and cook it uncovered on medium flame for 10 minutes or until the rice is mashable between fingers but holds its shape well. Drain the rice in a colander and add cold water to it to stop the cooking process. Fluff the rice and allow it to cool down completely before making the tava pulao.
• Use any crunchy veggies  to make this tava pulao. Cook the veggies on medium to high flame such that they are cooked but retain their crunch . In this recipe the ratio of veggies is double to that of rice used to make it wholesome. Yoy use rice and veggies in equal quantities.
• Adjust the spice powders as per your taste and spice tolerance.
• Use good quality pav bhaji masala for best results.
• Tawa pulao is made in butter or a mix of butter and oil. However, you may use only oil for a vegan version.
• Tawa Pulao can be made on a griddle, pan or even in an instant pot.

Would love to hear from you !

I hope you would love trying out this lip-smacking Tawa Pulao for yourself. If you do so, feel free to share your feedback with use in the form of likes and comments in the section below this post.

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See you soon with yet another healthy and delicious creation from my Kitchen. Until then Stay safe and eat right !

 

Happy Cooking !

Happy Eating !

 

Regards

Poonam Bachhav 

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