Paneer Tawa Pulao
Mumbai street-style rice tossed on a hot skillet with buttery pav bhaji masala, sweet peppers, juicy tomatoes and golden seared paneer. A fast, bold way to turn leftover rice into dinner.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Wait
- 10 min
- Total
- 50 min
- Makes
- About 6 cups (4 generous servings)
Steps
Before you start
- Use cold, day-old cooked basmati rice if you can. If cooking fresh, spread it on a tray and cool for 30 minutes, or chill it, so the grains stay separate.
- You need about 4 cups (600 g) cooked rice, which is roughly 1⅓ cups (260 g) dry rice.
- Chop everything before you turn on the heat. The cooking moves quickly.
- Pat the paneer dry with paper towels so it browns instead of steaming.
Prep rice and masala
- Break up the cold rice with a fork so no clumps remain.
- In a small bowl, stir the pav bhaji masala, chili powder, turmeric and 2 tbsp water into a loose paste.
- Chop the onion, bell pepper, tomatoes, chili and cilantro.
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Ready when: Rice grains are separate and the paste is smooth
Tip: Mixing the spices with water first stops them from scorching in the hot pan.
Sear the paneer
- Heat the oil and 1 tbsp of the butter in a 12-inch (30 cm) skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the paneer in a single layer and cook 2 to 3 minutes per side, turning gently, until golden on at least two sides.
- Move to a plate and sprinkle with a pinch of salt.
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Ready when: Paneer is golden brown with crisp edges
Tip: Don't stir too early. Let each side sit so a crust forms and the cubes don't stick.
Toast cumin, soften onion
- Lower the heat to medium and add 1 tbsp butter to the same pan.
- When it foams, add the cumin seeds and cook 30 seconds until they sizzle and smell nutty.
- Add the onion and cook 4 to 5 minutes, stirring, until soft and translucent with light golden edges.
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Ready when: Onion is translucent and lightly golden
Add aromatics and pepper
- Stir in the ginger-garlic paste and green chili and cook 1 minute until the raw smell fades.
- Add the bell pepper and cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring, until it is slightly softened but still bright and a little crisp.
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Ready when: Pepper is bright green and just tender-crisp
Cook the masala base
- Add the tomatoes, the masala paste and 1 tsp salt.
- Cook 5 to 6 minutes, mashing the tomatoes with the back of your spatula, until they break down into a thick jammy mixture and the butter begins to separate and shine at the edges.
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Ready when: Mixture is thick, no watery liquid remains, and oil shimmers at the edges
Tip: If it starts to stick, splash in 1 tbsp water and scrape up the bits.
Fold in the rice
- Raise the heat to medium-high.
- Add the rice in two batches, folding gently with a wide spatula and pressing slightly against the pan so the masala coats every grain.
- Toss 3 to 4 minutes until the rice is evenly red-orange and hot throughout.
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Ready when: Rice is evenly coloured, steaming hot, and no white streaks remain
Tip: Fold rather than stir hard, or the grains will break and turn mushy.
Finish and rest
- Return the paneer to the pan along with the remaining 1 tbsp butter.
- Fold gently for 1 minute.
- Turn off the heat, add the lemon juice and half the cilantro, then taste and add salt if needed.
- Cover and let the pulao rest 5 minutes so the flavours meld.
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Ready when: Paneer is heated through and the rice smells buttery and spiced
Tip: Add lemon off the heat to keep its flavour fresh and bright.
Serve
- Fluff once more, scatter with the remaining cilantro and serve hot, with raita, sliced onion or a squeeze of extra lemon.
Good to know
Tips
- Cold rice is the key to separate grains. Warm, freshly cooked rice turns gluey in the pan.
- Cook the tomato base until the liquid cooks off. A watery base makes soggy rice.
- Use a wide pan so the rice fries and picks up a little toasty flavour instead of steaming.
- Adjust the heat with the green chili and chili powder. Kashmiri chili gives colour with mild heat.
Make ahead
"Cook and chill the rice up to 2 days ahead. Chop the vegetables and make the masala paste up to 1 day ahead and refrigerate separately."
Storage & reheating
"Room temperature: no more than 1 hour, because cooked rice spoils quickly. Fridge: cool within 1 hour and keep in an airtight container up to 2 days. Freezer: up to 1 month, though the paneer will be a little crumblier. Reheat in a skillet over medium heat with 1 to 2 tbsp water, covered, until steaming hot throughout, or microwave covered with a splash of water."
Substitutions
- paneer → extra-firm tofu or boiled potato cubes. Press the tofu and sear it the same way. Potato should be par-boiled and browned in the butter.
- pav bhaji masala → 1 tbsp garam masala plus 1 tsp ground coriander and ½ tsp ground cumin. The flavour is less tangy, so add an extra squeeze of lemon.
- unsalted butter → ghee or oil. Ghee gives a richer flavour. Use the same amount.
- green bell pepper → red or yellow bell pepper, or a mix with green peas. Red and yellow are sweeter. Add peas with the rice.