Misal Pavमिसळ पाव
⏱ Prep 30m🍳 Cook 40m🍽 Serves 4🌿 Vegan
Video: Hebbars Kitchen (YouTube)
Misal pav is Maharashtra's great street breakfast — a fiery sprouted moth bean curry ladled into a bowl, then drowned in kat (a thin, oil-slicked spicy gravy) and buried under crunchy farsan, raw onion, and a squeeze of lime. Each spoonful is a collision of textures: soft spiced sprouts against crisp sev, deep heat against rich fat. The dish is made differently in Kolhapur, Pune, Nashik, and Mumbai, but the soul is always the same — bold, red, and deeply satisfying.
📍 Make it in Plano
This recipe is the same everywhere — but where you buy the ingredients and eat the dish is local to you.
Finding Desi spots near Plano…
Ingredients
- For the matki usal
- ▪whole moth beans (matki), sprouted (see step 1)1 cup dried / 2½ cups sprouted
- ▪oil (neutral)3 tbsp, divided
- ▪mustard seeds (rai)½ tsp
- ▪curry leaves (kadi patta)10
- ▪onion, finely chopped (divided: 1 for usal, ½ for kat base, ½ raw for topping)2 medium
- ▪tomato, finely chopped1 medium
- ▪goda masala or Maharashtrian misal masala1½ tsp
- ▪hot red chili powder (or Kolhapuri chili powder)2 tsp, divided
- ▪turmeric (haldi)¼ tsp
- ▪dry coconut (kopra), grated or thinly sliced2 tbsp
- ▪saltto taste
- To serve
- ▪pav (ladi pav / soft white bread rolls)8
- ▪butter2 tbsp
- ▪thin sev or farsan (namkeen mixture)1½ cups
- ▪fresh coriander (dhania), chopped3 tbsp
- ▪lemon or lime, cut into wedges1
🌍 Cooking abroad? Substitutions
- Goda masala is distinctly Maharashtrian and available at Indian grocery stores abroad under brands like Bedekar or Chitale. If unavailable, mix 1 tsp coriander powder, ½ tsp cumin, and a pinch each of ground clove and cinnamon as an approximate stand-in.
- Dry coconut (kopra) gives the kat its characteristic depth; look for it in the frozen or dry goods section of South Asian stores. Lightly toasting fresh coconut until dry and brown is a workable substitute — do not skip it.
- Ladi pav can be replaced with soft white dinner rolls or Portuguese papo-secos. Farsan and sev are available at Indian snack counters; a thin, crispy chivda works as a substitute if neither is available.
Method
- 11. Sprout the matki a day ahead: soak moth beans in water for 8 hours, drain, tie in a damp cloth, and leave at room temperature for 12–18 hours until short white tails appear.
- 22. Make the kat (thin gravy): heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan, fry half of one chopped onion until golden. Add grated dry coconut and fry until light brown, 3 minutes. Cool, then grind with 1 tsp hot chili powder and ½ cup water to a smooth paste. Return to pan with 2 cups water, salt, and bring to a boil. Simmer 5 minutes — it should be a thin, fiery, dark-red liquid. Keep warm.
- 33. Make the usal: heat 2 tbsp oil in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Add mustard seeds; once they splutter, add curry leaves. Add 1 chopped onion and fry until golden, about 7 minutes.
- 44. Add tomato and cook until soft and oil separates, 4 minutes. Add turmeric, remaining 1 tsp chili powder, and goda masala. Fry 1 minute, stirring so spices do not catch.
- 55. Add sprouted matki and salt. Stir to coat with masala. Add 1½ cups water, cover, and cook on medium-low heat for 15–18 minutes until sprouts are tender but still hold their shape.
- 66. Toast the pav: halve each roll, spread butter on the cut faces, and toast on a hot tawa (griddle) until golden and lightly crisp.
- 77. To serve, ladle usal into a wide bowl. Spoon hot kat generously over it. Top with a large handful of farsan, a mound of raw chopped onion, fresh coriander, and a squeeze of lemon.
- 88. Eat immediately — the farsan softens quickly. Tear the pav and dip it into the bowl to soak up the kat.
A Desi.Net original recipe · part of our Indian Cuisine library. Confirm details and adjust to taste.