Tava Pualo

Tava Pulao is a rice-variation of Mumbai's famous street food, Pav-Bhaji. This Pulao is made on a large griddle (Tava), by mixing cooked rice grains with Pav Bhaji. Because of the use of griddle or Tava, this dish is  called 'Tava Pulao'. Pav Bhaji lovers will definitely love this spicy and tasty rice preparation.  

Servings: Approx. 2-3 people

Time: Approx. 40 minutes (including preparation)

Ingredients:

For the Paste:
15-18 Red chillies   
7-8 Garlic cloves   
1 inch Ginger piece   
Salt

For Tava Pulao:    
2 tbspns Oil   
2 tbspns Salted Butter   
1 tspn Cumin seeds   
1 and 1/2 cups chopped Onions   
1/3 cup chopped Capsicum (Bell pepper)   
1/2 cup chopped Tomatoes + 1/4 cup chopped tomatoes   
1/4 cup boiled Potatoes   
1/4 cup boiled Green Peas   
1/4 cup boiled Cauliflower florets   
1/4 cup Water   
2 tbspns Red Paste (as above)   
1 tbspn Pav Bhaji Masala   
1/2 tspn Turmeric Powder   
1/2 tspn Red Chilly Powder (Optional)   
Salt to taste   
1 large bowl cooked rice   
1/4 cup chopped Green Coriander   
2-3 tbspns chopped Spring Onion greens   
  
For Garnishing:   
Chopped Coriander leaves   
Tomato slices   
  
To Serve with:   
Vegetable Raita   
Roasted Papad   
Lemon wedge

Method:

To make Paste:   
De-seed the red chillies. Soak the chillies into lukewarm water for almost 2-3 hours. Then take the soaked red chillies, garlic and ginger into a blender. Add some salt and blend it into a smooth paste. Set it aside to be used later in the main preparation.  

To make Tava Pulao:   

Take oil and butter into Kadai. Heat it on medium flame. Then add the Cumin seeds and saute. Then add the chopped onions and cook till it onions are translucent. Then add the chopped capsicum and cook it for 2-3 minutes. Once the capsicum is cooked, add the chopped tomatoes and cook for futher 2 minutes.  Once the tomatoes are cooked, add boiled potatoes, green peas and cauliflower florets to the mixture and saute.   

  

Thereafter, add a quarter cup of water to the mixture. Then add the red paste, Pav bhaji masala, turmeric powder, red chilly powder and salt. Saute it for a minute. Then add the cooked rice into the mixture and give it a stir. Ensure that the sauce is coated to the rice evenly. 

Cover it with a lid for a minute. Lastly, add rest of the chopped tomatoes, chopped coriander leaves and greens of spring onion and mix. Serve hot with Raita, Papad and onion slices.

Notes:
To make raita, mix chopped onions, chopped tomatoes and boiled green peas. Then add curds, a pinch of chaat masala and salt and give it a stir.

Stepwise Pictures:

Sending this entry to Food Corner's Cook Like a Celebrity Chef Event