I am sharing my first post for 2019 with this lip-smacking and popular street food from Maharashtra (in western India) called Misal Pav! This lip smacking, vegetarian Indian street food, although available mostly in the streets of Maharashtra, has garnered so much interest and fans that now, it is available in many other cities around India as well as made at home by adventurous and foodie home cooks…me including! (Scroll below for a printable recipe card as well as step-by-step instructions)

WHAT IS MISAL PAV?

Traditionally, a mixture (or “misal” as they call in Marathi, the language of Maharashtra) of sprouts are cooked in a special, spicy masala gravy with potatoes and peas. I had a large batch of freshly sprouted mung beans so that is what I was making my misal with! Unfortunately, I have not yet tasted the original misal pav but from doing research online and going through umpteen variations, decided to do my own version using basic pantry ingredients I had which I am thrilled to say, came out lip smacking delicious! This spicy, tangy curry is normally topped with a myriad of crispy, crunchy fried savory snacks called “farsan” or namkeen, showered with a tangy squirt of lemon juice and served with pav buns!

One bite of this misal soaked pav bun is enough to create a delightful, spicy, tangy, lip smacking and chatpata explosion of flavors in your mouth!

SPICES USED IN MISAL MASALA:

Traditionally, Maharastrians use a spice mixture called “goda masala” or “misal masala” in this dish. I did not have any, so decided to use the spices normally available in any Indian kitchen to make it easy for anyone to make this at home, any time, without compromising on taste! I have used commonly available coriander and cumin powders along with red chili powder and turmeric. To give it a special street food taste, I reached out to my favorite spice mix,  ready-made Pav Bhaji Masala powder (easily available in any Indian store) along with garam masala powder (homemade or store bought). Do not forget the bright red colored Kashmiri chili powder added more for color than heat. It imparts a beautiful, fiery red color to any dish and is a very important part of misal curry!

Coconut is a must for the traditional taste; (dry unsweetened desiccated or fresh/frozen) in misal paste.  Spices are roasted along with coconut, onions and tomato and made into a paste. This forms the base of the curry.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS:

Once the sprouts and some potatoes are thoroughly cooked along with the misal paste, it is topped with finely chopped onions, a shower of cilantro and a squeeze of lemon juice and mopped up with bread or pav we call it. For a crispy and crunchy bite (which is a must and elevates the whole street food experience  several notches), it is further topped with a mixture of fried savory chickpea noodles called “sev”, small fried chickpea balls called “boondi” or any fried savory mixture called “chiwda” or “mixture”. Try not to skip this; the “piece de resistance” of this dish!

Serve this amazing, lip-smacking and spicy misal curry with fresh pav buns (you can butter them if you want) or even slices of fresh bread (toasted or not)! Dunk chunks of pav into the hot spicy curry and prepare to transport yourself to a world of heavenly chatpata taste! Why, you can even use it to dip your rotis or parathas too!! (If you cannot find Pav Bhaji masala powder or do not have it in stock, then feel free to use any other you like. I recently used Badshah brand Kitchen King instead and my family just could enough of this aromatic, spicy, chatpata misal pav!)

Do try my version of this easy to make spicy, tangy mung bean sprouts misal pav and bring a small bite of Maharashtrian cuisine into your home! This is going to a “must-do-at-least-once-a-month recipe” folder of mine! Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

For more similar chatpata, easy and lip-smacking snacks, you may be interested in:

Masala Pav/Indian Style Potato Sloppy Joe Salem Thattu Vadai Set Khasta Masoor Dal Ki Kachori Masala Puri Chaat Cornflakes Bhel

HOW TO MAKE MUNG BEAN SPROUTS MISAL PAV WITH STEP-BY-STEP PHOTOS:

Pressure cook mung bean sprouts and chopped potatoes in a pressure cooker with some water for 2 to 3 whistles. Cook Time: 30 minutes

1 ½ cups mung bean sprouts 1 small potato, peeled and chopped 1 teaspoon mustard seeds Few curry leaves ½ teaspoon jeera/cumin powder ½ teaspoon haldi/turmeric powder ½ teaspoon red chili powder/cayenne 1 teaspoon coriander powder ¼ teaspoon hing/asafetida powder (optional) 1 to 2 tablespoons jaggery (unrefined cane sugar) Salt to taste 2 tablespoons oil FOR THE MISAL PASTE: 3 cloves 1 large piece cinnamon 1 teaspoon jeera/cumin seeds ¼ cup grated coconut (fresh/frozen/desiccated) 1 1/2 cups chopped onions 1 tsp ginger (chopped or grated) 1 tsp garlic (chopped or grated) 1 tablespoon Kashmiri Red Chili powder (more for color than heat) 1 teaspoon Everest Pav Bhaji masala powder (use any brand you prefer) ½ teaspoon garam masala powder 1 cup chopped tomatoes ¼ teaspoon salt 2-3 teaspoons oil FOR GARNISHING: Finely chopped coriander leaves/cilantro SERVING SUGGESTIONS: 6 to 8 pav buns/slide buns ½ cup finely chopped red onions ½ cup tomatoes, chopped (optional) ½ cup sev (fried savory chickpea noodles) ½ cup savory mixture like chiwda or any mixture that has different shaped fried chickpea ½ cup spicy boondi (fried savory chickpea balls) 1 lemon, quartered Few chopped green chilies/jalapenos (optional)

Instructions Notes Adjust spices according to taste. Can be served with plain bread slices, toasted or untoasted. Let the pressure drop naturally TO MAKE THE MISAL PASTE: In a small saucepan, heat oil and once the oil is hot, add the spices; cloves, cumin and cinnamon. Fry on medium heat for a few seconds. Tip in the grated coconut and fry until they turn light golden brown. Add the chopped onions and fry again until the onions turn slightly soft. Stir in ginger and garlic and saute for a few more minutes. Add the spice powders: Kashmiri chili powder, Pav Bhaji masala powder and garam masala powder. Mix well.

Tip in the chopped tomatoes with about ¼ tsp salt and cook for a few minutes until the tomatoes release a bit of water and turn soft and mushy.

Remove from heat and let cool and once cool, blend to a fine paste.

TO MAKE MUNG BEAN SPROUTS MISAL PAV: Heat oil in a saucepan. Once the oil is hot, add mustard seeds. Once the seeds splutter and crackle, add curry leaves, cumin powder, haldi, chili powder and coriander powders and sauté for a few seconds, taking care not to burn them. Tip in the blended misal paste and fry on medium heat until you see oil separating from the sides; an indication all the spices have fried well.

Add the cooked sprouts and potatoes mixture along with the water and mix to combine. Stir in salt to taste and about 1 tablespoon jaggery powder (or to taste) and mix well. Cover and cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes to allow all the flavors to blend well.

Adjust the consistency of the missal to medium thickness; neither too watery, nor too thick. Garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves.

Serve hot topped with onions, tomatoes, sev, boondi etc. along with a squeeze of lime in individual serving dishes along with pav buns. Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

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