Spicy, sumptuous Misal Pav – A Popular Maharashtrian Snack.

The technological advances these days have made it possible for me to speak to my family members sitting 5000 miles away in India. Not only can I keep in touch with my loved ones but they inadvertently end up giving me ideas for my blog posts as well (CHUCKLES!!!). So when my cousin said over the phone that he is eating a delicious moth bean curry I made that curry yourself and wrote a blog post about it. But this is no ordinary curry. Its the famous “MISAL Pav”; the spicy curry which usually brings tears of joy to pretty much everyone who eats it (LAUGHS!!!).

Craving for the popular “MISAL”.

It is obvious that anybody living far away from home is going to miss his family and I am no different. But things like cell phones, internet and social media are so readily available that the world has become a much smaller place. My native place/village of Roha is nothing more than a tiny little speck on the western coast of India. Still with the magic of cell phones I can keep up with things back there. It was one such talk with my cousin which created a craving in my mind for this popular delicacy called “MISAL”.

Maharashtrian Matki Usal

He casually mentioned on the phone that breakfast for him that day consisted of a sprouted moth bean curry OR “Matki Usal” as we locally call it. For some reason that brought a lot of childhood memories flooding back for me. I come from a family of farmers in which my father was the first one to move to the big city (MUMBAI) and make a name for himself. So the first memory was of receiving home-grown goodies like rice, wheat, moth beans etc from our farm. There is nothing better than eating food which is grown literally in your own backyard.

What is Misal Pav

Secondly if you mention “Moth Beans” or MATKI to a Mumbaiite there is good chance that he will start salivating because the thought of MISAL is going to cross his mind instantly. This is exactly what happened to me on hearing my cousin’s words. Misal is a spicy moth bean curry topped with onions, potatoes and a savory mix called “FARSAN” served with PAV or Bread. It was something I haven’t had in a while and I knew I had to recreate this tasty delicacy right then.This recipe is a bit time-consuming but the end result is totally worth it.

NOTE: This is not the traditional way of making misal. Its my own simple variation.

How to Sprout Beans

The first step involves sprouting the beans. Rinse the moth beans and add 2 cup of water. Cover and let it soak overnight. Next day, rinse the beans under running water and drain the excess. Cover the colander with wet cloth or wet paper towel and keep the colander in a warm place for 2 more nights. (I usually keep it in the oven/microwave).On the 4th day you will see beautiful sprouts.

Can I make Misal without Sprouts

Traditionally its made with sprouted beans as its more nutritional. But if you have no time to sprout the beans you can skip it and use soaked beans.

How to make Spicy Matki Usal on Stove Top

Now comes the best part; THE CURRY.

Firstly pressure cook the beans for about 20-25 minutes or until cooked.

Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and asafoetida. When the seeds splutter, add onion and sauté till translucent. Now add ginger-garlic paste, green chili, and sauté for few more minutes. Mix in the tomato puree and cook till oil starts separating. Add cooked sprouted beans and more water as required. Bring to a boil. Once the curry is simmering, add cooked potatoes, tamarind water, coriander powder, turmeric, deghi red chili powder, red chili powder, goda masala and coriander leaves. Let it simmer for 10 minutes. Season with salt. 

How to make Spicy Misal Pav in an Instant Pot

Do not pressure cook the beans as mentioned above. Set the Instant Pot to saute mode and follow all the steps. Add the raw beans and mix well. Add 3 cups of water stir. Cover and pressure cook for 12 minutes . Garnish with cilantro.

How to serve Misal Pav

To assemble pour a ladleful of steaming hot matki usal/bean curry in a bowl. Top it with chopped raw red onion (optional), chopped coriander leaves and a generous amount of farsan. Serve with bread.

Enjoy the curry by using the bread to soak up all the delicious goodness. This is a dish that is traditionally had for breakfast. There is no better wakeup call then a hot curry to put all your senses in high gear. (LAUGHS!!!!)

Variation of legume used to make Misal?

Traditionally Misal is made with Moth beans or Matki, you can also make it with using white peas (safed vatana), whole green moong (green gram), mixed sprouts to make it more healthier.

If you like this Misal Pav recipe with all the tips and tricks mentioned above, don’t forget to Pin it and follow us on PINTEREST.

IF YOU LIKE THIS RECIPE HERE ARE FEW MORE CHAAT RECIPES FOR YOU TO TRY.

• Crispy Pan-fried Malvani Shrimp
• Vegetable Kolhapuri
• Tasty Chicken Vada Pav
• Mumbai Masala Pav (30 Min Snack)
• Malvani Chicken Curry with Vade
• Masala Rice

If you are on Facebook I would love it if you Like my FACEBOOK page.

Did you make this Misal Pav ? Share a photo on INSTAGRAM at #samosastreet.

Misal Pav

Rahul

Spicy sprouted bean curry topped with a savory mixture called farsan.

5 from 9 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Course Breakfast, Entree

Cuisine Indian, Maharashtrian

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

• 1 cup Moth beans/Matki
• 1 big Onion chopped
• 1 big Potato boiled and cubed
• 1 inch Ginger piece paste
• 2 Garlic Clove paste
• 1 Serrano Green Chili finely Chopped
• 1 tsp Mustard seeds
• 1 tsp Cumin seeds
• ¾ ts Turmeric
• ½ tsp Asafoetida
• 2 tsp Coriander Powder
• 4 tsp Deghi Red Chili Powder optional
• 1 tsp Red Chili Powder
• 1 tsp Goda Masala (you can use Garam masala)
• 1 cup Tomato Puree
• ½ cup Tamarind water
• Salt as per taste
• Coriander for garnish

Other Ingredients

• 1 small Onion chopped OPTIONAL
• Coriander chopped
• Farsan/Savory mixture

Instructions

 

Sprouting the beans.

• Rinse the moth beans and add 2 cups of water. Cover and let it soak overnight. Next day, rinse the beans under running water and drain the excess. Cover and keep the bowl in a warm place for 2 more nights. On the 4th day you will see beautiful sprouts.

Curry

• Pressure cook the beans till cooked.
• Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and asafoetida.
• When the seeds splutter, add onion and sauté till translucent. Now add ginger and garlic paste, green chili, and sauté for few more minutes.
• Add tomato puree and cook till oil starts separating.
• Add cooked sprouted beans and more water as required. Bring to a boil.
• Once the curry is simmering add cooked potatoes, tamarind water, deghi red chili powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, turmoeric, goda masala and coriander leaves. Let it simmer for 10 minutes.
• Season with salt.

Assembly

• In a bowl, pour a ladleful of steaming hot usal/curry.
• Garnish with chopped raw onion, chopped coriander leaves and generous amount of farsan/savory mixture.
• Serve with bread. Enjoy.

Note

• Tamarind water: Soak 5 tamarind pods in water for 4 hours. Mash with a spoon, strain and discard the solid. OR use tamarind paste

Keyword Matki Usal, Misal Pav, Moth Bean Curry, Sprouted Beans Curry

Related posts:

Mumbai Masala Pav (30 Min Snack) Tasty Chicken Vada Pav – Fun Twist on the Iconic Vada Pav Vegetable Kolhapuri Cheese Dabeli – A Popular Indian Chaat loved by all. Spicy Cauliflower Taco