Skip to main content

Misal Pao

This is one of the most popular Maharashtrian breakfast, brunch or snack and also one of the most famous street foods. Misal is a spicy dish made with moth beans/matki sprouts or mixed sprouts and served with pao (Indian bun). 

There is a very famous restaurant in Thane by the name Mamledar which served the best misal pav where I grew up. Me and my friends would often go there to just binge on a plate of  the spiciest misal pav or as they call it zalzalit misal. This has the spiciest gravy (rassa) with a layer of spicy oil floating on the top. We would always have a competition on who could finish off the misal without sipping water in between. This heated binge session would then always conclude with a glass of nice chilled lassi. 

Well, after moving to the Netherlands I missed having this dish and so to relive those moments, I decided to make this super spicy, delicious street food. 

SERVES: 3-4
PREP TIME: 10 mins
COOK TIME: 20-25 mins
  • 1 cup matki sprouts/mixed sprouts
  • 250 ml water
  • 1½ tbsp oil
  • 1½ cup onions (sliced)
  • 1 cup large tomato (sliced)
  • 5-6 garlic cloves
  • 1 inch ginger (sliced)
  • ¼ tsp turmeric powder
  • ½ tsp red chilli powder
  • 1 tbsp goda masala
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 7-8 curry leaves
  • 1 tsp jaggery 
  • salt to taste
1. Cook Sprouts: In a pressure cooker add the sprouts, salt, turmeric power and water and cook on high flame for 1 whistle. Switch off the flame and let the cooker depressurize.

2. Make Base: Heat oil in a pan and add the sliced onions, roughly chopped ginger and garlic cloves and cook until the onions are slightly brown. Now add the sliced tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes turn mushy. Add some water to cool down the mixture. Add the cooled mixture in mixer jar and grind it to form a paste.

3. Make Misal: Add oil in a pan, once the oil is heated add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and allow them splutter. Add the curry leaves and freshly ground masala paste and cook this till the oil is released. Now add red chilli powder, goda masala and cook this mixture for 5 mins. Add the cooked matki sprouts and some water, salt and jaggery. Bring the curry to a boil. This will take 10-15 mins, until you see the oil rising to the surface. 

4. Plate: Pour the Misal in a bowl, garnish with some freshly chopped coriander leaves and farsan with a side of chopped onion and lemon. Serve it hot with some freshly toasted pav.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Turkish Bread with Za'atar Spice and Baba Ghanoush Dip

I came across Turkish bread for the first time after I moved to the Netherlands and I bought it from a Turkish shop near my place. Absolutely fell in love with it! The softness and flavours were just amazing and right then I decided I am going to try making my own batch. This is absolutely lovely and versatile; you can pair it with anything. You can make a bruschetta, pair it with some shrimp salad or have it with some dip like hummus and baba ghanoush. I paired mine with some creamy baba ghanoush and a generous garnish of za'atar spices. The best part about creating this dish was that it was so simple and easy to make. In my head I had inflated the difficulty too much and was expecting some really hard and tricky process to it, but it turned out to be so simple! Not to forget the excitement I got when it came out as amazing as I was expecting. SOFT, FLUFFY AND DELIUCIOUS! So, read on to know how I made this amazing bread with a simple and fool proof method. ...

Malvani Lamb Curry

Malvani masala has been one of my all time favourites and I have used this spice blend in lot of my recipes. This time I decided to make some lamb curry with it and it came out amazing. This comforting, spicy, flavourful lamb is very simple to prepare with some basic ingredients like  onion, tomato, ginger & garlic paste and of course the star ingredient that brings life to the recipe is some home made malvani spice mix. The tender juicy lamb curry is just perfect when paired with some hot steamy rice or chapatis. There is nothing more comforting than this on your lunch table. Simply amazing! Press Enter and insert Image https://www.instagram.com/p/CGFZQWxj4XD/   SERVES: 3-4 PREP TIME: 20 mins COOK TIME: 1 hr ...

Puttu with Kadala Curry

Puttu is a staple breakfast dish in south India popular in the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. "Puttu" means portioned in Malayalam. It is a very filling and hearty breakfast dish made with rice flour mixed with salt water and typically steamed in a puttu steamer with coconut shavings in between. Sometimes a bit of jaggery powder is also added to make it a bit sweet. My husband loves to eat puttu with elaichi bananas or other small bananas; mixing it with the puttu. I came across this dish after I got married into a Malayali household and got exposed to a lot of Kerala recipes and dishes. My mother-in-law makes really amazing puttu and Kadala curry. So, after I moved here to the Netherlands I wanted to give this a try. I didn't have a puttu steamer, so I asked my mother-in-law and she gave me the idea to steam it inside a coconut shell which is also a popular traditional method of cooking. It was totally worth all the effort and to be honest it was really ...

Mackerel Curry

I recently discovered this recipe on my usual inspiration hunt online and decided to give it a try. During my grocery run at the city centre before, I decided to have a look at the fresh fish store and got some amazing looking mackerel filets. I had not decided on the recipe at that moment, but then I happened to have everything at home for this recipe and things simply fell into place. Normally I am into masaledar, spicy and coconutty fish curries but this time I did not have any coconut milk at home and I was also feeling a bit lazy with my cooking. This recipe was an absolute delight for my mood with an amazing tangy, sour flavour of tamarind and vinegar and a slight sweetness of jaggery. Quick and simple! Totally worth it and definitely recommended.  Press Enter and insert Image https://www.instagram.com/p/CI276lADeR5/   ...

Roasted Eggplant with Balsamic Vinegar Dressing

Eggplant is one of those vegetables that prepared wonderfully can make you fall in love with it, but then anything less than perfect makes you just hate it. They are a great substitute for meat and personally, I love to experiment with it, prepare it in different styles and try out new recipes. Being married to a meat lover, it's quite an undertaking to prepare a vegetarian meal that he would love πŸ˜•πŸ˜•.  Recently I got my hands on some fresh eggplants that were exactly what I needed for the recipe I had on my list for a while. Since eggplant is the hero of this dish, it is important to make sure you choose the best one for the recipe. I t's important to pick out the right size and kind. Bigger may not be always better as they might have a lot of seeds in them and tend to have a spongy interior. There is also a trace of bitterness in them that require salting to remove. So , look for ones with smooth, shiny skin that are uniformly colored and feel...

Sri Lankan Prawns Curry

I have tried prawns in a variety of preparation styles and flavours but making this Sri Lankan style curry was my first. As always I was very excited to try out something new with a new combination of flavours and using a different variety of ingredients. This juicy prawns curry infused with the Sri Lankan spice mix I made from scratch and coconut milk base was exactly what I needed after a super hectic day. Traditionally you add the prawns heads into the curry for an additional depth of flavour. However, I had bought some pre-cleaned prawns from the market which had their heads removed so could not add the heads. In this recipe I have nevertheless written how to use the prawns heads in the preparation.  The curry definitely came out amazing and simply mesmerising. Hope you enjoy the recipe as much as I did. Cheers!! Press Enter and insert Image https://www.instagra...

Shimplya - Malvani Masala (Mussels Curry)

I have had this recipe on my bucket list for a long time. When I saw these fresh mussels in the store, I immediately knew what my next dinner meal would look like 😁😁. Malvani shimplya is definitely one of my favourites. This style of cooking mussels is simply the best.  When I moved to the Netherlands, I carried some of my favourite spice mixes with me including this Maharashtrian malvani masala. Malvan is basically a town in the Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra and this masala is curated from that region. I am a hard core fan of these masalas and anything cooked in these spices are on my list of favourites. So you can only imagine my excitement when I got my hands on these awesome fresh mussels. The aroma of the spices and the mussels that filled my kitchen when I was cooking them simply took me on a trip of Konkan Maharashtra. I one hundred  percent  recommend this dish. Mussels + Malvani spices = "Heaven" Pre...

Kadai Mushroom Masala

This is what I call a simple, heart warming comfort dish. I love mushrooms and I have experimented with this, fleshy spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, in a lot in different ways. This version, in the form of a tangy, spicy dish is simply amazing and it lifts me up every time. Hope you also like this recipe and give it a try. ...

Spaghetti in Baba Ganoush Sauce

Baba Ganoush is a beautiful creamy sauce made of smoked egg plant, tahini, garlic, olive oil and spices blended together. I had come across this sauce recipe when I was looking for some inspiration online and wanted to experiment combining it with some spaghetti. So I got a nice fresh egg plant and along with all the other ingredients, I was all set to make the sauce. As a typical desi cook I had serious doubts about bringing this recipe to life. The only time I have used an egg plant is to make baingan barta. So, with an inquisitive mind and excitement I finally gave it a go. πŸ˜πŸ˜πŸ˜ ...

Simple Egg Curry Masala

The tangyness of the curry and crispness and softness of the egg mixed with spices can only make one close their eyes and say πŸ˜‹πŸ˜‹πŸ˜‹ View this post on Instagram A post shared by soulfood with shreya (@kandykurries) on Mar 27, 2020 at 2:48pm PDT Making this dish was truly a soulful experience because it's what food is to me. The recipe of this dish is as simple as it looks all you need is the following ingredients: 4 boiled eggs 1½ roughly chopped onions 1 medium finely chopped πŸ… 4 garlic cloves few curry leaves (optional) 2 green chillies finely chopped 1/2 tsp finely chopped ginger 1/2 tsp haldi (turmeric) 1/2 tsp chilli powder 1 spoon garam masala 1/2 spoon dhaiya (coriander) powder 1/2 tsp jeera (cumin seeds) some finely chopped coriander salt as per your taste 1. Fry the boiled eggs: Take a kadai (pan) and add 2 spoon oil in it. Once the oil is heated add 1/2 teaspoon haldi. Now slit the boiled eggs into halves and add it to the kadai and ...