Tawa Pulao

Ingredients:

• 3 cups Cooked basmati rice {1 cup raw rice gives 3 cups cooked rice}
• 3/4 cup Green peas
• 3/4 cup Carrot chopped into small pieces
• 3 tablespoons Water
• Salt to taste
• 2 tablespoons Butter
• 1 tablespoon Oil
• 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
• ½ cup Red onion finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon Ginger paste or freshly grated or crushed
• 1 teaspoon Garlic paste or freshly grated
• 1 Green chili chopped finely or crushed
• 3/4 cup Capsicum (Green bell pepper) chopped
• 2 medium or 1 ¼ cups Tomatoes chopped finely
• ¼ teaspoon Turmeric powder
• ½ teaspoon Red chili powder
• 1 tablespoon Pav bhaji masala
• 1 teaspoon Lemon juice or Lime juice optional

Instructions 

1. Take carrot and peas in a microwave-safe bowl. Add a pinch of salt and water. Cook for 4 minutes on high power. Or you can steam or boil them.
2. Heat the butter and oil in a pan on medium heat. Once hot add cumin seeds and let them sizzle a bit.
3. Then add chopped onion and crushed ginger garlic green chili. Stir and saute for 4-5 minutes or until the onion turns soft and translucent or pink in color. Plus, the raw smell of ginger-garlic goes away.
4. Add tomatoes and green bell pepper along with salt. Mix and cook until tomatoes are almost mushy and soft.
5. Add turmeric powder, red chili powder and pav bhaji masala. Mix well and cook for a minute.
6. Add cooked peas-carrot and basmati rice. Mix everything.
7. Add lime juice, stir. Turn off the stove.

Notes

1. If using other veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, corn, potato then you may need to boil or steam them. Here I have used peas-carrot and those take very little time to cook so I have microwaved them.
2. Highly recommend using cold leftover rice. Cold rice holds its shape and doesn’t break while mixing.
3. If using freshly cooked rice then let the rice cool down completely before using. Warm or hot rice tends to break or fall apart when stirred/mixed.
4. Be careful while adding salt. Add only enough for veggies because your cooked rice is already salted.
5. Skip adding lime/lemon juice if your tomatoes are sour.