Mumbai Style Tawa Pulao

If you are a Mumbaikar, you would surely be familiar with this tawa pulao, right? It’s one among the many famous street foods of Mumbai besides pav bhaji, vada pav, pani puri etc. Mumbaikars might be well aware that these are often served by the pav bhaji vendors or the chat walas. Usually the bhaji for the pav bhaji is made in a huge and heavy iron girdle. And to make this pulao, they saute loads of vegetable in the same girdle and

toss it with rice, pav bhaji masala along with traces of the bhaji which lends it a unique flavour. You can pair it with a chilled raita and some fried papads.The best part is you can use your left over rice to make this. You can use any vegetables like bell peppers, cabbage, green peas, corn kernels, carrots, cauliflower etc. Make sure that the veggies retain their crunch. Finally, garnish it with loads of finely chopped coriander leaves and a generous squeeze of lime.So, if you were thinking that you need to go to Mumbai streets to taste it, now you know better 🙂 It’s infact very easy to cook it up at home with whatever vegetables you have in your pantry. Please do not skip the pav bhaji masala. You can use an iron wok or a non-stick kadhai to make this. Please cook it at home and share your feedback with me. For more such rice based recipes, please click here.Ingredients:

• Cooked basmati rice 2 cups
• Salt to taste
• Onion 1
• Tomatoes 2
• Carrot 1
• French beans 8-10
• Capsicum 1
• Shredded cabbage 1/2 cup
• Green peas 1/4 cup
• Ginger 1 inch piece
• Left over pav bhaji
• Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
• Red chili powder 1 tsp
• Pav bhaji masala 2 tsp
• Butter 1 tbsp
• Oil 1 tbsp
• Coriander leaves for garnish
• Spring onion greens for garnish

Method:

• Chop all the vegetables, ginger, green chilies into thin slices.

• Heat an iron skillet or girdle or a wok.
• Add butter and oil and saute the onion slices first.
• Now add the ginger, green chilies and other vegetables.

• Cook on high flame till vegetables are almost cooked, yet a bit crunchy.
• Add two tablespoons of left over pav bhaji and mix well.

• Now add the spice powders and cook for a minute.

• Add the cooked rice and toss gently.

• Sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons of water. Add the pav bhaji masala and stir.

• Finally, garnish with finely chopped coriander and spring onion leaves.

• Serve it with a chilled raita of your choice, some fried papads and a lemon wedge 🙂