Misal Pav

Pune and Kolhapur argue about who makes the best misal. Everyone agrees on the basics: sprouted moth beans (matki), a fiery red 'kat' (spicy gravy) and a crunchy topping of farsan, onion and lemon, eaten with soft pav.

Video by Hebbars Kitchen on YouTube. Our recipe below is our own home-style version, written in our own words – quantities and steps may differ from the video.

• Serves 4
• Prep 20 min
• Soak 720 min
• Cook 35 min
• Vegetarian · Spicy
• Famous in Maharashtra

Ingredients

• 200 g moth beans (matki), sprouted (see tip) – or 2 tins mixed beans
• 3 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 pinch asafoetida
• 10 curry leaves
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 2 tbsp grated dry coconut, roasted
• 1 tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 1½ tsp goda or garam masala
• ½ tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp jaggery
• 1 tsp tamarind paste
• 1½ tsp salt
• To serve: 200 g farsan or Bombay mix, 1 onion chopped, coriander, lemon wedges, 8 soft bread rolls (pav)

Method

1. Cook the sprouted moth beans in salted water for 10–12 minutes until just tender. Keep the cooking water.
2. Heat the oil, add mustard seeds, asafoetida and curry leaves, then the onions. Fry until golden brown.
3. Add ginger-garlic paste, tomatoes and roasted coconut and cook until soft. Blend half of this masala smooth if you like a silkier gravy.
4. Add all the spice powders and fry for 1 minute until the oil turns red.
5. Add the beans, 800 ml of the cooking water, jaggery, tamarind and salt. Simmer for 15 minutes – the gravy should be thin and spicy with a red oil layer on top.
6. To serve, put a ladle of beans in a bowl, pour over plenty of gravy, top with farsan, onion, coriander and lemon, and eat with buttered, toasted pav.

Tip: To sprout matki: soak 12 hours, drain, wrap in a damp cloth and leave in a warm place for 1–2 days until short sprouts appear.

Shop the ingredients

Everything you need for this recipe is in stock at Farmah’s – order online or pick it up at Annenstraße 41, Graz.