Misal pav is a very famous street food in Maharashtra. I have never tasted this before I made this today for the South-North Challenge. This is my second month of participating in the challenge. Our friend and fellow blogger Divya Pramil from you too can cook Indian food started this amazing challenge where she divided the whole of India into North and South. Based on our culinary expertise, we are either in the North team or in the South team. I belong to the South team and that means that I have to make the dish that the North team challenges us to make and it works vice versa for the other team.
What is Misal Pav
So, a little description of the dish that I made today. Misal is a spicy curry made of sprouts or peas and chili gravy. Traditionally the Misal has two components to it, one is the thicker part ‘matki’ has cooked peas or sprouts in it and the other one is called the ‘kut’ which is the spicy, watery gravy. Today though Meena aunty taught us an easier version that has both the matki and the kut together as gravy that is topped with crunchy farsan or hot mix. This dish is served with pav (Indian bread). Since it is quite a spicy dish, I also served this with Lassi (sweetened buttermilk) to cool down the palate. Hope all of you enjoy this dish as much as I did. Preparation time – 15 mins plus overnight to soak the peasCooking time – 1 hr plus time to cook the peasDifficulty level – medium
Ingredients to make Misal Pav –
To grind together (base masala)
Onions – 3 (sliced) Tomatoes – 2 (chopped) Green chilies – 2 Ginger garlic paste – 2 tsp Coconut (grated or desiccated) – ¼th cup Oil – 1 tsp
For the Misal Masala
Ground paste from above Cumin seeds – 1 tsp Red chili powder – 1 teaspoon (adjust based on spiciness level) Turmeric powder – ½ tsp Garam masala – 1 tsp Dhania/coriander powder – ½ tsp Dry mango powder/amchur powder – 1 tsp Oil – 3 tablespoon (got to be liberal for the taste) Salt – to taste
For the assembly/Misal pav –
White peas/Vatana (white) - 1 ½ cups (soaked overnight) Pav Buns – as needed Butter /olive oil – to toast the buns Farsan – as needed Onion (for garnish) – 1 (chopped finely) Cilantro/coriander leaves – for garnish Lime wedges – a few (for garnish)
Procedure –
Wash and soak the peas overnight in water. Next day, drain the peas, add fresh water, and cook in a pressure cooker for 2 whistles. The peas should be cooked soft, but they should not be mushy. Keep aside.
To make the ground masala -
Sauté the onions until brown and translucent. Now add the green chilies and Ginger garlic paste and sauté for 2 more mins.
Now add the tomatoes and cook until it softens.
At the end add the coconut and fry for a couple of more minutes and take it off the flame. Cool down a bit and grind it into a smooth paste adding little water if needed.
To make the gravy -
Heat the oil in the same pan and add all the dry masala powders with the cumin seeds and sauté for about a minute on low heat. Take care not to burn the masala.
Now add the ground masala paste and sauté it well. Cook for a few minutes (for about 8- 10 mins) covered, until the oil starts to leave the side of the pan. It is important to fry the masala well to ensure the maximum flavor in the recipe. Do not add salt now because then it will splatter all over the place.
Add the salt and the cooked peas and mix well. Add water to make it into gravy-like consistency. Let it boil for a few minutes (about 5-8 mins). Now the gravy is ready for assembly.
Assembly – Make it just before you are ready to eat
Toast the pav buns either in butter or olive oil. In a bowl add the gravy and top it with about ¼ cup of farsan. Now add a little more gravy on top. Garnish with chopped onions and cilantro and serve with the toasted buns. I also served it with sweet lassi to cool down the palate from all that heat.
More Street Foods
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