Tawa pulao is Mumbai’s popular street food veg rice dish prepared on a flat griddle or tawa
Our New Year’s lunch spread was an elaborate thali and the star player was tawa pulao served with khoya matar paneer and boondi raita as the side dish. I also prepared masala paratha, punjabi dhuli dal, pahadi (kumaoni) aloo fry and papad cone while desserts were carrot kheer and mawa besan laddu. In today’s post, I am going to focus on Mumbai’s famous and popular street food, tawa pulao. Its a fusion food of sorts. Mixed vegetables are sauteed in a masala base and tossed with boiled rice in a wide iron griddle (tawa) or wok similar to Chinese style vegetable fried rice. The most important ingredient is pav bhaji masala, an aromatic spice mix that is used in pav bhaji preparation.
To savor the taste of authentic tawa pulao one has to visit the chaat vendors carts that line Mumbai streets and Juhu beach. Since its an easy recipe to replicate, we can re-create the same flavors at home though it will not have that typical street food flavor that the street hawkers whip up. 
Tawa pulao makes for a quick meal provided you have left over cooked rice. The only preparation work involves chopping and blanching mixed vegetables. You can use 2-3 vegetables of choice other than onions and tomatoes. Carrots, beans, cauliflower, potatoes, french beans, capsicum, cabbage and green peas can be included to your homemade tawa pulao recipe. Ensure you do not overcook the vegetables while blanching them. They should retain a bit of crunch. I have used carrots, potatoes, green peas, capsicum and cauliflower for recipe of tawa pulao.
Butter, tomatoes, pav bhaji masala and fresh coriander leaves are essential ingredients to a good tasting tava pulav. Ensure you do not skimp on any of these ingredients. The street style tawa pulao calls for the use of red chili paste which lends a nice red shade to the pulao. I have substituted red chili paste with Kashmiri chili powder.
This flavorful one pot meal is perfect for your kids lunch box as its loaded with mixed vegetables. Serve it with raita or yogurt and it makes for a complete, filling meal. A gem among Indian pulao recipes that should be part of your recipe repertoire.
You can also make a super quick tawa pulao with left over pav bhaji and cooked rice.
Learn how to make tawa pulao, Mumbai street style
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