Tawa pulao is a popular Indian street food, and is also known as Pav Bhaji Pulao. In this Mumbai style tawa pulao, cooked rice and vegetables are stir fried in butter, pav bhaji masala and with other spices and herbs. This easy recipe can be made quickly using leftover rice.
- Tawa Pulao
- Ingredients
- Tips
- Notes & Suggestions
- How to make homemade tawa pulao
- Serving Suggestions
Tawa pulao or tava pulao is a delicious pulao recipe that is spicy, tangy and packed with veggies, a flavourful and popular street food from the city of Mumbai, India.
This street style tawa pulao is made with pre cooked rice, colourful vegetables, butter, pav bhaji masala.
To enhances the flavours and bright colour of the pulao, red chilli garlic paste made with kashmiri chillies added to the rice.
Rice is a staple ingredient in Indian cooking. In many households, rice is cooked almost every day. Plain or Jeera Rice (made with cumin seeds) can be enjoyed with curries or dal .
Desserts made with rice such as Kheer are made at any day of the week. We love to cook savoury rice dishes such as vegetable pulao , rice pilaf, biryani and one of them is Tawa Pulao.
It is packed with flavours and textures that are quintessential to Indian cooking.
Some people prepare tawa pulao by mixing leftover pavbhaji and leftover rice.
Tawa Pulao
The name Tawa Pulao comes from the big tawa (flat, concave pan) that the rice dish is cooked in.
In streets of Mumbai, you’ll find street vendors preparing and selling tawa pulao rice on the local pav bhaji counters along with other delicious street food such tawa paneer masala and masala pav.
Home cooks like us don’t need huge tawa to cook Tawa pulao, this recipe can be made easily in any frying pan or wok.
Tawa pulao recipe has a very unique spicy flavour and the secret ingredient to achieving this you must need Pav bhaji masala.
Pav bhaji masala is also used in making very typical popular street food Pav Bhaji recipe and Tawa Burger . Rich flavors of the pav bhaji masala enhances the tastes of the tawa pulao recipe.
Ingredients
Measurements in the recipe card below.
Rice – for tawa pulao we need white rice. We love to use good quality Sella Basmati Rice, which I have used in making my veg biryani .
Vegetables – I have used carrots, green peas, onion, green bell pepper, potatoes, fresh tomatoes and cauliflower. You can use other vegetables like cabbage, french beans and sweetcorn too.
Pav Bhaji Masala – for flavourful and good tawa pulao, good quality pav bhaji masala is must. Pav bhaji masala is a spice powder made with basic whole spices, that is used to flavour the dish.
Use either homemade pav bhaji masala or your favourite shop bought brand masala. We like to use Everest brand pav bhaji masala in our cooking.
Butter – to achieve the same flavours and taste as Mumbai tawa pulao, loads of butter is necessary, you can use salted or unsalted butter.
Flavours, Seasoning and Garnishing – for best results, we also using turmeric powder, red chilli powder.
Ginger-garlic paste, kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves), lemon juice and fresh coriander leaves ( hara dhaniya)
Red chili paste prepared with soaked kashmiri chillies or fresh red chilies and garlic pods. Must for tawa pulao recipe.
Tips
For best tawa pulao recipe to make at home, here are some tips and tricks which will help.
Use the right rice – Tawa pulao is an Indian rice dish thus use Basmati rice. For great looking and tasty pulao, I prefer long grain rice. We like to use Sella Basmati Rice, which makes excellent pulao rice.
Sella basmati rice is long and upon cooking the rice grains length doubles. Also, it does not stick together and break. It is perfect for cooking Biryani, Zarda & Pulao in large quantities.
We find sella basmati rice in Indian or Pakistani grocery stores.
Do Not Over Cook Rice – For best results and nice looking pulao or biryani dish, ensure not to overcook your rice. You don’t need mushy or clumped rice for this dish.
I personaly avoid using pressure cooker or instant pot. It is best to use an open pot to cook the rice. This way you can see how your rice is cooking, rice will cook perfectly, all grains are separated.
A tip from my Mum for best rice is to add a few drops of oil and lemon juice to make fluffy rice.
By mistake if you have added extra water to cook the rice, cook rice until al dente. Drain the water from the rice using a colander and let the excess water drain away.
Let the rice cool completely before adding it to the sauteed veggies. If I want to make stir fry rice, I cook my rice few hours before, cool completely and store it in the fridge.
For the best flavours do not skip butter in this recipe.
Finish it with lemon juice and kasoori methi.
Notes & Suggestions
Add Beans – If you want to add cooked chickpeas or red kidney beans, pan fried paneer or tofu. Add the beans with vegetables when cooking.
Add more vegetables – for my tawa pulao I have used potato, capsicum, carrots, green peas, tomato, cabbage and cauliflower.
You can add other vegetables such as green beans, broccoli, sweetcorn, cooked beetroots (colour will change). Don’t want double carb in your dish? Skip potatoes.
Instant Chili Garlic Paste – Don’t have dried chillies on hand or do not have time to soak ,do not panic. Simply take Kashmiri or any other chili powder and blend with garlic cloves/powder or granules with little water.
Adjust spices – usually tawa pulao recipe is spicy, however spice levels can adjust according to your taste. Do not need to add all the chili-garlic paste or green chili in this recipe. But if you like spicy food, add more 🙂
How to make homemade tawa pulao
First step – make chili-garlic paste and cook fresh rice
Take 6-8 whole dried red kashmiri chilies, add in the bowl. Pour hot water and cover it with the lid. Let it soak for 20-30 minutes until they are soften.
Do not use any other regular dried chillies, as you won’t achieve a bright red colour paste.
Meanwhile take 1 cup of basmati rice (roughly 185-210 grams) in a bowl. I have used sella basmati rice. Rinse the rice under clear running water until water turns clear.
Add enough water to cover the rice and soak it for at least 20 minutes. Make sure you use cold water to soak the rice.
Once 20 minutes are up or rice is soaked properly drain the water from the rice. Add 5-6 cups of water in a pan/pot, also add a few drops of oil, lemon juice and pich of salt.
Bring it to a boil on medium heat, once water comes to a roaring boil point add soaked rice that is well drained.
Do not cover the pan whist rice is cooking and let the rice cook until al dente or just cooked or 95%. The cooking time depends on the quality and the quantity of the rice.
For the Sella rice I used it too around 5-6 minutes. Turn off the heat.
Drain the water from the cooked rice using a strainer (small holes). Let it cool for a couple of minutes, and fluff up the rice using a fork.
Allow the rice to cool down completely before adding it to the pulao.
Roughly from 1 cup uncooked basmati rice, you’ll get 2 1/2 – 3 cups of cooked rice.
Whilst rice is cooling make chili-garlic paste, drain the water from the red kashmiri chilies which were soaking. If you prefer less spicy pulao, cut open the chilies and remove the seeds.
Add soaked and drained chilies along with little water (3-4 tablespoon) and 6-8 garlic cloves in a blender jar.
Do not add much water as we need thick paste. Blend or pulse until you have thick and smooth paste. Leave it aside.
- Second step – Prepare all your veggies
You will need
potato boiled, peeled and cut
carrots – steamed
green peas – steamed
cauliflower – steamed
bell peppers (green) chopped
fresh tomato (chopped)
onion (peeled and chopped)
cabbage
1 green chili finely chopped (optional)
- Third step – Make Tawa Pulao
Add 3 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of oil (optional) in a frying pan, wok or large tawa if you have one. Heat butter and oil, then add cumin seeds. Let the seeds crackle.
Keep the heat to medium-low and add finely chopped one medium onion and cook for 2-3 minutes until raw aroma goes away or onion turns translucent.
Add 2 tsp ginger garlic paste and green chili (optional), cook with onions for minute or so. Now add 1 tablespoon of prepared chili-garlic paste (you may add 1-2 teaspoon more if you like spicy food).
Cook the mixture for 1 minute more.
Now, add all the prepared vegetables and some salt (if using salted butter, don’t add too much salt). Stir all the vegetables until well combined and cook for 1 minutes.
Add 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric powder and 2 tablespoons of pav bhaji masala. You may also add a small amount of red chili powder.
Stir everything and sprinkle a tablespoon of water, so masala doesn’t burn. Cook everything 1 minutes, the vegetables should not be over cooked or mushy.
Add cooked and cooled rice to the veggies and give it a good mix until everything comes together.
At the end of cooking, add kasoori methi, fresh cilantro leaves and lemon juice.
Mix gently, then your mumbai streets style tawa pulao is ready to enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
Being a tawa pulao spicy dish, it should be served with cooling yogurt dishes such as onion raita or boondi raita.
You can also add a tablespoon of butter on top before serving, will add more flavor to the pulao!
Sometimes I love to serve with mixed fruit raita , roasted tomato raita and refreshing Indian side salad Kachumber . I also wash it down with mango lassi or rose lassi .
Storage
Other Indian Street Food Recipes
Bread Pakora with stuffing (Bread Bajji)
Batata Vada
Bhel Puri
Khaman/Dhokla Chaat
Dabeli
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!
- YouTube
Tawa Pulao Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Frying pan or wok
- 1 Spatula
- 1 Chopping board
- 1 Sharp knife
Ingredients
Rice
- 1 cup rice sella basmati
- 5 cup water
Chili Garlic Paste
- 6 red chilies dry kashmiri
- 6 cloves garlic
Other Ingredients for Tawa Pulao
- ¼ cup butter
- 2 tablespoon oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 big onion cut
- 1 teaspoon ginger puree
- 1 teaspoon garlic puree
- ½ cup bell pepper green capsicum
- ¾ cup tomato cut
- 1 cup mix vegetables steamed – carrots,green peas, cauliflower
- 1 cup potato boiled, peeled and cut
- ¼ cup cabbage cut
- 2 tablespoon pav bhaji masala
- 1 teaspoon chili powder kashmiri – optional
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves kasoori methi
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
Topping/Garnish
- 3 tablespoon coriander/cilantro chopped
- 2 wedges lemon optional
Instructions
Chili Garlic Paste and Soak Rice
- First make chili garlic paste. Soak dried chilies in hot boiling water in a bowl for at least 30 minutes. 6 red chilies
- Rinse the rice in clear running water until waterturns clear. Soak washed rice in a bowl with cold tap water at least 20-25 minutes. 1 cup rice
- Once chillies are soaked and hydrated, drain the water. Remove stem and add in the blender jar with garlic cloves. If you want less spicy paste, remove the seeds from the chili. 6 cloves garlic
- Add very little water (2 tablespoon max) and blend until you have smooth thick paste. Leave it aside.
Cook Rice
- In a big pot or pan add water, add a tiny pinch of salt and few drops og oil. 5 cup water
- Bring it to roaring boil, drain the water from the soaked rice.
- Add soaked rice into the boiling water.
- Keep heat on high. Do not cover the pan at all whilst rice is cooking.
- Cook rice until 95% done, rememeber not overcook the rice.
- Drain the water from the rice using a strainer. Leave it aside to cool at room temeprature.
- After a couple of minutes spread it in the big plate/tray to cool completely in less time.
Cook Tawa Rice
- In a frying pan, wok or large tawa add butter and oil on medium flame. 1/4 cup butter, 2 tablespoon oil
- Let the butter melt, then add cumin seeds. 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- Once cumin seeds splutter, add onion slices to it. 1 big onion
- Fry the onions until light pink and translucents on mefium-high heat. It will take approximate 2 minutes or less.
- Then add ginger-garlic puree and chili garlic paste according to your taste that you have prepared using soaked chillies. (Do not add all the chili garlic paste) I added 1 tablespoon and it was spicy enough for us. 1 teaspoon ginger, 1 teaspoon garlic
- Cook the paste and onion mixture for 1 minute or so.
- Now add chopped tomatoes and capsicum, mix well and cook for 1 minute. 1/2 cup bell pepper, 3/4 cup tomato
- Add remaining vegetables, stir and cook for 2 minutes on medium-high heat. 1 cup mix vegetables, 1 cup potato, 1/4 cup cabbage
- Tip in pav bhaji masala, chili powder and turmeric powder and mix everything and cook everything further for 1 minute. 2 tablespoon pav bhaji masala, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
- Add prepared rice and salt (it will be around 3 cups cooked rice) and mix with spices and vegetables. Mix gently on medium heat. salt
- Sprinkle crushed kasoori methi, coriander and lemon juice and mix well. 1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves, 2 tablespoon lemon juice, 3 tablespoon coriander/cilantro
- Serve tawa pulao hot with (tablespoon butter on top) lemon wedges, cooling raita and fresh kachumber salad. 2 wedges lemon
Video
Notes
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
Note – this recipe was posted on our blog on 10th March 2012, since I have updated the post with new content and pictures.
Tawa Pulao Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Frying pan or wok
- 1 Spatula
- 1 Chopping board
- 1 Sharp knife
Ingredients
Rice
- 1 cup rice sella basmati
- 5 cup water
Chili Garlic Paste
- 6 red chilies dry kashmiri
- 6 cloves garlic
Other Ingredients for Tawa Pulao
- ¼ cup butter
- 2 tablespoon oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 big onion cut
- 1 teaspoon ginger puree
- 1 teaspoon garlic puree
- ½ cup bell pepper green capsicum
- ¾ cup tomato cut
- 1 cup mix vegetables steamed - carrots,green peas, cauliflower
- 1 cup potato boiled, peeled and cut
- ¼ cup cabbage cut
- 2 tablespoon pav bhaji masala
- 1 teaspoon chili powder kashmiri - optional
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves kasoori methi
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
Topping/Garnish
- 3 tablespoon coriander/cilantro chopped
- 2 wedges lemon optional
Instructions
Chili Garlic Paste and Soak Rice
- First make chili garlic paste. Soak dried chilies in hot boiling water in a bowl for at least 30 minutes. 6 red chilies
- Rinse the rice in clear running water until waterturns clear. Soak washed rice in a bowl with cold tap water at least 20-25 minutes. 1 cup rice
- Once chillies are soaked and hydrated, drain the water. Remove stem and add in the blender jar with garlic cloves. If you want less spicy paste, remove the seeds from the chili. 6 cloves garlic
- Add very little water (2 tablespoon max) and blend until you have smooth thick paste. Leave it aside.
Cook Rice
- In a big pot or pan add water, add a tiny pinch of salt and few drops og oil. 5 cup water
- Bring it to roaring boil, drain the water from the soaked rice.
- Add soaked rice into the boiling water.
- Keep heat on high. Do not cover the pan at all whilst rice is cooking.
- Cook rice until 95% done, rememeber not overcook the rice.
- Drain the water from the rice using a strainer. Leave it aside to cool at room temeprature.
- After a couple of minutes spread it in the big plate/tray to cool completely in less time.
Cook Tawa Rice
- In a frying pan, wok or large tawa add butter and oil on medium flame. 1/4 cup butter, 2 tablespoon oil
- Let the butter melt, then add cumin seeds. 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- Once cumin seeds splutter, add onion slices to it. 1 big onion
- Fry the onions until light pink and translucents on mefium-high heat. It will take approximate 2 minutes or less.
- Then add ginger-garlic puree and chili garlic paste according to your taste that you have prepared using soaked chillies. (Do not add all the chili garlic paste) I added 1 tablespoon and it was spicy enough for us. 1 teaspoon ginger, 1 teaspoon garlic
- Cook the paste and onion mixture for 1 minute or so.
- Now add chopped tomatoes and capsicum, mix well and cook for 1 minute. 1/2 cup bell pepper, 3/4 cup tomato
- Add remaining vegetables, stir and cook for 2 minutes on medium-high heat. 1 cup mix vegetables, 1 cup potato, 1/4 cup cabbage
- Tip in pav bhaji masala, chili powder and turmeric powder and mix everything and cook everything further for 1 minute. 2 tablespoon pav bhaji masala, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
- Add prepared rice and salt (it will be around 3 cups cooked rice) and mix with spices and vegetables. Mix gently on medium heat. salt
- Sprinkle crushed kasoori methi, coriander and lemon juice and mix well. 1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves, 2 tablespoon lemon juice, 3 tablespoon coriander/cilantro
- Serve tawa pulao hot with (tablespoon butter on top) lemon wedges, cooling raita and fresh kachumber salad. 2 wedges lemon
Video
Notes
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
These 3 ingredient vegan waffles are the perfect healthy breakfast. Make with simple ingredients; oats, banana and plant milk, these vegan oatmeal waffles are one of the simplest recipes. Get perfect waffles every single time.
I love waffles for breakfast! My favourite savory waffles are these Pumpkin Semolina Waffles.
A good waffle should be fluffy inside and crispy on the outside.
This oatmeal waffle recipe yields the same airy consistency of traditional waffles without needing eggs for a super quick breakfast. The recipe is also refined sugar free as it is just made with banana.
Why this recipe is a keeper!
Only 3 ingredients needed
No flour, No eggs or No regular sugar
Vegan, Dairy-free and easily can be made gluten-free
Ready just in 10 minutes
Light and fluffy with perfect crispy edges
3 ingredient vegan banana oatmeal waffles
This recipe is made with healthy ingredients , see the recipe card for full measurements.
Oats – you can use rolled oats (quick oats) and grind them down in a food processor or use oat flour directly if you do not have a lot of time. Oats provide fibre and micronutrients such as magnesium and zinc.
Alternatively, use white flour/all purpose flour. Another great option are whole wheat flours.
Milk – you can use any plant-based milk here such as almond milk, oat milk.
Vegan buttermilk is another alternative – it is simple to make at home, taking only 2 ingredients and a minute! Add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to 1 cup of soy milk. Allow it to curdle for 1 minute and buttermilk is ready to use.
Banana – you will need ripened mashed bananas for this recipe. If you want vegan waffles without banana , a great alternative is apple sauce or apple butter as it also has some sweetness to it. You can also use a flax egg which is commonly used in vegan cooking.
Optionally:
You can add a few drops of vanilla essence for extra flavour.
Add some vegan chocolate chips to the batter.
Equipment required
Waffle iron/belgian waffle maker – non stick ones are best. I love to make gram flour and coriander waffles ( Kothimbir vadi waffles ) in this waffle iron too.
Blender – use a food processor or a spice grinder. If you have oat flour, you do not need this.
Vegan gluten-free waffles
You can use gluten-free oats which cook the same way as regular oats. These gluten-free waffles will have the same texture as the original recipe
Spelt flour, buckwheat flour, almond flour are all great options that are gluten-free.
How to make Vegan Waffles with 3 ingredients
In a high speed blender or spice grinder, grind down the oats until you get flour consistency.
Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
Add your plant milk of choice and chopped banana, blend 30 seconds and bring it together.
For best results, you do not need a smooth batter but keep it slightly lumpy for fluffy waffles.
If the batter gets very thick, add 1-2 tablespoons of milk and mix well.
Spray or brush the inner plate with a little coconut oil.
Pour in the waffle batter but ensure not to overfill.
Close the lid – you will see steam releasing.
Cook as directed by the manufacturers instructions.
Top with your favorite toppings – see below for suggestions.
How to achieve crispy waffles
Ensure the waffle iron is adequatedly heated before use – the batter should sizzle when it is poured into the waffle maker. To test, flick a drop of water onto the iron, if it sizzles and pops, it is heated.
Do not over work the waffle batter otherwise the waffles will be chewy and dense. For better results, leave the batter a little lumpy.
When cooking the waffles, do not stack them over each other as the heat and steam will cause the waffles to loose their crispiness.
How to prevent waffles sticking to the waffle iron
Coat or brush the waffle surface with oil prior to cooking – the oil prevents the waffles from sticking.
Do not overfill the waffle iron with batter or else it will overfill into the sides and edges and stick.
Serving Suggestions
Serve these vegan Belgian waffles with pure maple syrup and fresh berries – this combination is perfect for breakfast.
Why not try other fresh fruit such as mango, chopped banana, apples with cinnamon, pear and honey or pineapple and coconut.
For indulgence, go for peanut butter or almond butter. If you do not like nut butters, apple butter is a good option.
Sprinkle some icing/powdered sugar on top, however then they’ll no longer refinde sugar-free.
Go wild and try out some new concoctions of your own! This is a great recipe to get kids involved.
I find that a lightly sweet Kefir Lassi is the perfect beverage alongside these healthy waffles.
My parents prefer to have it with Masala tea or Karak chai .
Storage
You can store waffle batter in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for 2 days.
You can also store leftover waffles in the fridge. To reheat for a delicious breakfast, place in the oven or air fryer or under the grill until warm through
Store cooked banana waffles in the freezer – simply reheat in a toaster oven, air fryer or oven if you have a large batch.
The waffle iron should be hot before the batter is poured in. Do not stack the waffles on top of each other as they loose their crispiness. Your batter might be too smooth – keep it slightly lumpy.
Yes, you can. Use grill pan or use regular frying pan to make pancakes out of this batter.
Other Breakfast/Brunch Recipes
Eggless Buckwheat Pancakes
Orange Cranberry Scones (starbucks style)
Air fryer Donut Holes
Mango Pancakes
Bajra Methi Dhebra (Millet flour and Fresh Fenugreek Flatbreads)
Sabudana Khichdi
Tiger Rolls
Mandazi (egg free)
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!
- YouTube
Vegan Waffles (3 Ingredients)
Equipment
- 1 Blender
- 1 Waffle maker
Ingredients
- 1 cup rolled oats use gluten-free for GF diet
- ¼ cup banana
- ½ cup oat milk or any other plant based milk
Coocnut oil to grease the waffle iron
Instructions
- Add oats in a blender jar, and blend for 30-40 seconds or until you have fine flour. 1 cup rolled oats
- Add in banana and milk and blend for another 30 seconds or until the batter turns smooth and lump-free. 1/4 cup banana, 1/2 cup oat milk
- Leave it aside.
- Meanwhile switch waffle iron on and allow to reach cooking temerature.
- Now coat the waffle iron’s cooking surface (base and lid) using coconut oil to avoid sticking waffles.
- Pour or spoon waffle batter evenly over the hot iron (approx 1/2 cup). Becareful not to overfill.
- Close the lid and allow waffles to cook for at least 8-10 minutes. Do not open the lid whilst steam is coming out of the waffle maker.
- Open the lid slowly and leave waffle in the place for another 20-30 seconds.
- Remove gently using a flat knife.
- Repeat process for remaining batter – greasing iron between each waffle with coconut oil – and store waffles on a plate in warm oven until ready to eat.
- Serve with fruit, maple or date syrup, nuts etc.
Video
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
