Misal Pav

How to make Misal Pav | Super healthy breakfast recipe Usal - Misal Pav 

And the award for the World's Tastiest Vegetarian Dish Combined with Pav (Bread) Goes to.... Misal Pav

Did you know that Mumbaikar's very popular and quintessential Maharashtrian Snack Recipe - Misal Pav served at Aaswad located at Dadar- Shivaji Park bagged top honors and has been declared as the tastiest vegetarian dish in the world at the Foodie Hub Awards held on May 2015 in London. As per the Foodie Hub Global Awards- Misal Pav is a wonderful contrast of textures and colors.

Misal Pav is a popular breakfast dish from Maharashtrian Cuisine. It is also a very famous Mumbai street food. It consists of Misal and Pav. Misal is a flavorful scrumptious spicy curry made of mixed sprouts or moth beans aka matki or dried peas which are cooked in onions, ginger, garlic, tomato based gravy and flavored and spiced with goda masala and served with mixed farsan, onions, lemon and chopped coriander. Pav means a small loaf of bread. Pav is Mumbai's staple street food and served along with various famous street foods of Mumbai like Pav bhaji, Kanda Bhajiya Pav, Alu Bhajiya Pav, Vada Pav, masala Pav, Ragda Pav, Bhurji Pav ...

Before moving ahead with today's recipe I want to share the basic difference between usal and misal. In simple words, it is the way dish is presented and serviced. The recipe and cooking method is almost same, but the funniest way to identify both the recipes is that usal is like gharwali - housewife and misal is like baharwali - Girlfriend :) Hahaha looks funny, but perfect way to identify the difference between the two. Usal is less spicy and toned down version - means dry or semi dry consistency where as misal is shiny oil based curry, super spicy, served and garnished with onions, tomatoes, lemon, chopped coriander and mixed farsan. 

Today's recipe of misal pav is my creativity. The uniqueness is that it is coming under one pot recipes. It is simplified, super healthy and easiest version of misal pav without compromising on the taste part.

The plan of action for this recipe is soaking and sprouting of beans and lentils.. For that you need to soak following legumes for overnight.

The legumes which are picked for misal pav are as follows 

1 ½ tbsp Moong beans

1½ tbsp Chana dal

1½ tbsp Matki (Moth beans)

1 tbsp Kala Chana (black Bengal gram)

1tbsp Chawli (black eyed peas)

1tbsp Chana (chickpeas) 

1tbsp Rajma (Kidney beans)

Mix all well, wash and soak it for overnight and then on the next day, rinse again and remove water, leaving 5-7 % and allow the sprouting process, or use sprouts maker bowl.

☑ Let's get started with recipe details 

Cuisine - Indian (Maharashtrian)

Soaking time overnight 

Preparation time 10-15 min

Cooking time 25-30 min

Serving 4-5

☑ Ingredients required 

350 grams mixed sprouts 
2tbsp fresh green peas
3-4 medium size onions

5-6 medium size tomatoes 

2tsp red chilly powder

2tsp coriander powder

1tsp turmeric powder

2-3tbsp cooking oil

Salt to taste

☑ Other ingredients - To make a paste for gravy

3-4 tbsp grated dry coconut / fresh grated coconut 

4-5 garlic cloves

Small piece ginger

1tbsp sesame seeds (white til)

1tbsp coriander seeds 

1tsp cumin seeds

⅓ tsp fenugreek seeds (methi dana)

1tsp dry pomegrante seeds (anar dana)

4-5 cloves

½tsp black pepper corns

½ tsp cinnamon powder (dalchini powder)

½ tsp asafoetida (hing powder) 

Pinch of nutmeg powder

¼ star anise

3-4 dry red chillies (optional) or

6-7 green chillies 

½ cup water

☑ For garnish and serving 

Chopped onion

Chopped tomatoes 

Chopped coriander 

Lemon 

Mixed farsan

Ladi Pav

Curd / butter milk

☑ Method

♨Step 1 Mise en place

◾To Make a paste 

Combine all the ingredients mentioned above to make a paste for the gravy in a mixer grinder jar , add ½ cup water and make a fine paste - keep it aside until needed. 

◾Vegetable Cutting 

Onions - peeled and roughly chopped 

Tomatoes - washed and roughly chopped 

Coriander leaves - washed and finely chopped

Ginger - peeled and roughly chopped 

Garlic - peeled and roughly chopped 

♨ Step 2 Cooking time

◾Heat oil in the pressure cooker, add onions and saute till light golden brown in color.

◾Add tomatoes, first 2 minutes cook on high flame and then simmer and cook till tomatoes are nicely cooked and turns soft.

◾Add dry ingredients i.e. red chilly powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and salt to taste. Mix it well.

◾Now add coconut and spice paste made above. Mix it nicely and cook for 2-3 minutes.

◾Add sprouts mix and green peas well and saute for 2-3 minutes.

◾Add 3-4 glasses of water (750-800 ml). Cover the pressure cooker with lid and cook up to 4-5 whistles and then slow the flame and simmer for 4-5 minutes. Switch off the gas stove. 

◾Our misal is ready to dish out.

☑How to serve 

◾Pour the misal in a serving bowl, top it with chopped onions, lemon juice, coriander leaves and farsan mix and serve it with pav, papad and curd.