Spicy Misal Pav is street food delicacy in Maharashtra. Tangy sour and spicy snack. Nowadays, many office canteens serve it for breakfast. When I first started to work at Mumbai, I could see people really crazy about misal pav. It took me a while to understand why this Marathi dish was so popular. Although it is street food, it is quite healthy if you limit your namkeen intake. Actually, a great way of having matki sprouts instead of making a cold salad. The best part is the Indian street food recipes for bhelpuri, pav bhaji, pani puri ,bhelpuri, vada pav, spicy misal recipe etc can be adjusted according to taste and even made healthier. Chaat need not be junk it can be healthy too.
Here, we serve this puna misal recipe along with 'Pav' or 'Laadi' or Bun. You can buy buns from the market. However, I love baking them. Click here to learn how to make pav if you want a soft bun for your Marathi dish at home. This misal recipe consists of steamed 'Matki Usal' or moth beans and 'watane' white peas.
easy misal pav recipe
You can find people relishing this spicy meal with drinks at Mumbai beaches. Both Juhu and Girgaum chowpatty are filled with stalls full of street food. There are slight variations to this simple recipe depending on the place. You can enjoy this at any Jhunka Bhakar kendra. These food stalls also help vendors from poor financial background make a living and provide fresh food to mill workers and daily wagers.
Why misal pav is famous in Maharashtra?
- Recipe of Puneri misal is slightly different from recipe of Spicy Kolhapuri misal pav. It contains Poha or rice flakes instead of slices of bread. Puneri misal is less spicy than Kolhapuri misal. Puneri misal curry or rassa has a tangy taste due to addition of tamarind and jaggery.
- Mamladar Misal served in and around Thane is much spicier.
- Nashik misal has a bigger pav and served with shev, matki(sprouts) with thick gravy and oil aka tari. Nasik Panchavati missal has burnt dry coconut and Garam masala in making dark curry.
- Dahi misal is served with yogurt to enhance its flavor.
What do you serve with misal pav?
Serve misal masala hot. Add a dash of lemon, finely chopped onions, some mixture farsan, poha/rice flakes for some vegan curry magic. Those who love yogurt, even add some beaten curd ,papad and even potatoes.
Ingredients
- oil
- cumin seeds
- ginger garlic, green chilies (1 teaspoon each)
- onion chopped
- tomato puree
- turmeric powder
- garam masala
- red chilli powder or as per taste
- coriander powder
- salt as per taste
- sprouted moth beans / matki
- Mix namkeen/fried Indian snack for serving
Garnish: Coriander leaves, chopped onion and lemon juice.
refer to recipe card for details.
How to make misal pav?
- Wash the sprouts and drain the excess water. Keep it aside.
For Sprouted misal curry
1. Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds, ginger, garlic, chilies, onions to it. Let it brown.
2. Add tomato puree and cook for 8-10 mins.
3. Add the spices and cook until the oil oozes out.
4. Mix well and add 2 cups of water. Let it come to a boil.
5. Add sprouts to it and cook until the liquid is reduced to half.
6. Serve with extra namkeen, pav, raw onions and a teaspoon lemon juice. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
Variations
Add more green chilly or red chili powder for a spicier misal. For dahi misal pav, add yogurt to this dish. Yogurt provides a balance to the spicy curry. It is much relished by kids who may not be able to eat very spicy version. Puneri misal pav is served with pohe or poha (cooked rice flakes) as its base with ussal (sprouts) and topped with rassa (curry).
Kolhapuri misal recipe is not served with pohe but is the spiciest of all. It is generally served with bread slice instead of ladi pav. upwas misal is made with potatoes and sabudana and nasik misal which is typically served with pappad. Jain misal pav is no onion garlic affair as in case of all Jain recipes.
Substitution
You can substitute chopped ginger garlic with ginger garlic paste. You can also add handful of curry leaves and ½ cup boiled potatoes if making for more people. Add red chilli powder according to your taste buds. If you like it milder use paprika instead of spicy powder. Add a teaspoon goda masala if you have it handy or do not have garam masala at home.
Equipment
- Saucepan/Frying pan
- Blender(if not using canned tomato puree)
FAQ
What is the difference between usal and misal pav?
Spicy misal is a Maharashtrian dish, served with pav, which is a soft dinner roll slightly toasted and buttered with matki. On the other hand, usal pav is a mild, gravy-based curry made from sprouted lentils like mung beans (moong), black-eyed peas (chawli), or usually white peas (vatana added to matki).
Why Misal Pav is eaten in Maharashtra?
The curry ( rassa /tarri )and sprouts(ussal) where eaten with bhakri in traditional Marathi recipe. However, curry was always more. So serving with bun ensured it provided a bigger meal to mill workers who usually worked long hours and could only eat dinner much later after the shift finished.
Who is the founder of Misal?
It was founded by late Kondaji Farzand in the 1850s.
Related links
Spicy Misal Pav recipe
Equipment
- pan
Ingredients
Misal curry
- 2 tablespoon oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ginger garlic,green chillies(1 teaspoon each)
- 1 large onion chopped
- 1 cup tomato puree
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 2 teaspoon red chilli powder or as per taste
- 1 tablespoon coriander powder
- 2 teaspoon salt or as per taste
- 2 cups sprouted moth beans
- Mix namkeen sev chiwda /fried indian snack for serving
Garnish: Coriander,chopped onion and lemon juice
Instructions
- Wash the sprouts and drain the excess water. Keep it aside.
- Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds, ginger, garlic and chilly, onions to it. Let it brown.
- Add tomato puree and cook for 8-10 mins.
- Add spices & cook for 5 minutes or until oil oozes out of the curry.
- Mix well and add 2 cups of water and let it come to a boil.
- Now, add sprouts to it and cook until the liquid is reduced to half.
- Cover and cook until water has reduced by half.Turn off the heat.
- Garnish with mix namkeen, chopped coriander leaves ,juice and raw onions. Serve it with Pav or dinner rolls / bhakri
Food safety
- Always keep the kitchen ventilated while cooking.
- Ensure sprouts and herbs are washed thoroughly, before you use them.
Conclusion: misal pav is a gem from Maharashtrian cuisine which balances farsan mix with a healthy sprouted bean curry. Served with pav (buns) or bread slices and lemon wedges, it is a good mix of proteins in a spicy thin gravy. This lip-smacking dish is one of the favourite foods in western India.
Rkl says
Delicious