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    Home » Recipes » Biriyani Recipes

    Tawa Pulao | Mumbai Street Food Tava Pulav

    Published: Sep 23, 2015 · Modified: May 23, 2021 by Ramya · 21 Comments

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    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Learn how to make quick and easy Tawa Pulao recipe with step by step pictures. Mumbai Street Food Tava Pulav recipe, one pot rice recipe!

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    Tawa Pulao is one of the easiest and tastiest lunch recipes that can be made very quickly. Supposedly, this pulav is a very famous Mumbai street food. Although I have never tasted it, I loved how this is prepared and had been wanting to try it in my kitchen since long. Making Sunday Biryani – be it egg biryani, mushroom biriyani or vegetable biriyani is so common in our house that we do not think of anything else. On one of the Sundays when we both were tired from all the weekend cleaning, I suddenly thought of this easy Pulao recipe and made it for lunch. It was love at first bite for both of us and within minutes, our plates were wiped clean – that’s how tasty it turned out to be.

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    Traditionally, this Pulao is made on a large tawa or flat iron pan and the rice is stir fried with a lot of vegetables and spices. The tawa is kept on a low heat and the rice is slow fried. Add a dollop of butter to the rice, it turns super tasty. Since I had no such tawa, I decided to make it in a pan. Another variation for this recipe is that the vegetables are cooked in advance – which again saves a lot of time. While the vegetables are cooking, rice can be cooked separately as well. All it needs further is to mix everything together 🙂 Instead of using normal spices, Pav Bhaji Masala is added to this rice recipe making it taste quite different from the other Pulao/Biriyani recipes. With a slice of lemon on the side and lots of coriander on top of the stir fried rice, this Tawa Pulav tastes super awesome – do try it for yourself!

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    Mumbai Street Food Tawa Pulao Recipe

    📖 Recipe

    Tawa Pulao Recipe

    Tawa Pulao | Mumbai Street Food Tava Pulav

    Ramya
    Learn how to make quick and easy Tawa Pulao recipe with step by step pictures. Mumbai Street Food Tava Pulav recipe, one pot rice recipe!
    No ratings yet
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 minutes mins
    Cook Time 20 minutes mins
    Total Time 35 minutes mins
    Course Main Dish
    Cuisine North Indian
    Servings 2 people

    MEASUREMENT

    1 cup = 250ml, 1 tablespoon = 15ml, 1 teaspoon = 5ml

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 cup Raw Rice/Basmati Rice
    • 1.5 cups Mixed Vegetables Potatoes, Carrots, French Beans, Green Peas and Cauliflower
    • 1 Medium Capsicum
    • 1 Large Onion
    • 1 Large Tomato
    • 1.5 teaspoon Ginger Garlic Paste
    • 1 teaspoon Jeera/Cumin Seeds
    • ¾ teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
    • 1 teaspoon Pav Bhaji Masala recipe link in notes below
    • ½ teaspoon Turmeric Powder
    • 1 tablespoon Oil
    • A Few Sprigs Coriander Leaves
    • Water as required
    • Salt as required
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions
     

    • In a small pot, cook the mixed vegetables with enough salt until ¾th done. Similarly, cook the rice with enough salt al dente (should not be mushy but not be grainy). Drain the excess water and cool it down. Set aside.
    • In a pan, heat oil. Add jeera and let them splutter. Add finely chopped onion and cook until translucent.
    • Add ginger garlic paste and fry for 30 secs and add finely chopped tomato. Fry until mushy.
    • Add finely chopped capsicum and fry for 3-4 mins so that its not cooked to a mush. Add the spice powders – turmeric powder, red chilli powder and paav bhaji masala. Add salt required for the masala. Cook for 2 mins until the raw smell is gone.
    • Add the cooked vegetables and give a quick stir. At this point, the masala should coat the vegetables and the oil should be releasing from the sides.
    • Add the cooked and cooled down rice, mix well. Check for salt. Add finely coriander leaves.
    • Serve hot with onion raita and lemon wedge on the side.

    Notes

    • Recipe for Pav Bhaji Masala
    Keyword Biryani/Pulao
    InstagramMention @cookingfromheart or tag #cookingfromheart if you have tried this recipe!
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    Tawa Pulao Recipe with Step by Step Pictures

    1. In a small pot, cook the mixed vegetables with enough salt until ¾th done. Similarly, cook the rice with enough salt al dente (should not be mushy but not be grainy). Drain the excess water and cool it down. Set aside.

    2. In a pan, heat oil. Add jeera and let them splutter. Add finely chopped onion and cook until translucent.prep13. Add ginger garlic paste and fry for 30 secs and add finely chopped tomato. Fry until mushy.prep2

    4. Add finely chopped capsicum and fry for 3-4 mins so that its not cooked to a mush. Add the spice powders – turmeric powder, red chilli powder and pav bhaji masala. Add salt required for the masala. Cook for 2 mins until the raw smell is gone.prep3

    5. Add the cooked vegetables and give a quick stir. At this point, the masala should coat the vegetables and the oil should be releasing from the sides.prep4

    6. Add the cooked and cooled down rice, mix well. Check for salt. Add finely coriander leaves.prep5

    7. Serve hot with onion raita and lemon wedge on the side.

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    Recipe Notes

    • The rice should be cooked a little more than ¾th. Only then while mixing with the masala, it doesn’t turn mushy. It’s also important to cool it down completely before mixing on the hot pan.
    • Adding a few drops of oil to the cooking rice can make it non-sticky.
    • Any available vegetables can be used and there is no rule as such as long as the vegetable combination works.
    • The flame has to be kept on medium at all the time and keep stirring the mixture every now and then so that the bottom is not charred.
    • Instead of keeping the lemon wedge on the side, it can be squeezed into the pulao as well.

    I would be delighted to know if you have tried this recipe, don’t forget to share your feedback and comments below. If you have any questions, you can e-mail me! I am also available on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter 🙂

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    1. pattubaby06

      September 23, 2015 at 10:39 am

      Yummy!

      Reply
      • CHCooks

        September 23, 2015 at 7:11 pm

        Thanks Pattu 🙂

        Reply
    2. dreamzandclouds

      September 23, 2015 at 11:07 am

      I make this one too, with a few modifications in ingredients 🙂

      Reply
      • CHCooks

        September 23, 2015 at 7:10 pm

        Oh is it Madhu? What is your recipe, would love to know about it 🙂

        Reply
    3. It's All About Food

      September 23, 2015 at 12:00 pm

      Looks Yum!!

      Reply
      • CHCooks

        September 23, 2015 at 7:09 pm

        Thanks Anjali 🙂

        Reply
    4. srividhya

      September 23, 2015 at 6:15 pm

      Very yummy. I just make onion rice in similar way.. will try this out

      Reply
      • CHCooks

        September 23, 2015 at 7:09 pm

        Oh wow onion rice is it? Sounds lovely 🙂

        Reply
    5. Bharani

      September 23, 2015 at 6:45 pm

      Yum 🙂

      Reply
      • CHCooks

        September 23, 2015 at 7:08 pm

        Thanks Bharani 🙂

        Reply
    6. Traditionally Modern Food

      September 23, 2015 at 11:14 pm

      Tawa puloa always gives a spl tatse.. It's lunch time and I m seeing ur post u shouldn't do this to me

      Reply
      • CHCooks

        September 24, 2015 at 10:36 am

        haha thanks a lot Vidya 🙂

        Reply
    7. Freda @ Aromatic essence

      September 25, 2015 at 1:03 am

      Looks very delicious!

      Reply
      • CHCooks

        September 25, 2015 at 2:01 pm

        Aww thanks a lot 🙂

        Reply
    8. Lynz Real Cooking

      September 25, 2015 at 4:58 pm

      This looks beautiful! It is such a wonderful blend of many yummy things! I really have to give this a try!

      Reply
      • CHCooks

        September 26, 2015 at 9:12 am

        Pls do try Lynz 🙂

        Reply
    9. Chitra Jagadish

      September 26, 2015 at 3:42 am

      Wow this my favourite among rice dishes....looks yummmm

      Reply
      • CHCooks

        September 26, 2015 at 9:11 am

        Thanks a lot Chitra 🙂

        Reply
    10. Sakhi

      May 23, 2021 at 3:03 pm

      Any alternative for pavbhajji masala? Bcoz I don’t buy packet powders available in stores! Thanks in advance.

      Reply
      • Ramya

        May 26, 2021 at 12:07 pm

        You can make Pav Bhaji masala at home too, pls check the recipe that I have linked in the notes. If you dont want to use any Pav Bhaji masala, you will not get the authentic taste but you can replace it with red chilli powder + coriander powder + jeera powder + amchur powder + garam masala powder. Hope this helps.

        Reply

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    Hi! I am Ramya, the face and voice behind Cooking from Heart 🙂 I was born in Andhra Pradesh, brought up in Chennai and currently living in Bangalore. My food is an amalgamation of the different exposures I have had in my life. More about me →


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