misal pav recipe with step by step photos. misal pav is a popular and delicious maharashtrian breakfast recipe and one of my favorite food. growing up in mumbai, i have had misal pav in many places. my mom would also make misal pav at home many times.
there are many variations of making misal in maharashtra. usually moth bean sprouts (matki sprouts) or mixed beans sprouts are used. other variations of usal on the blog are:
- chawli usal (with black eyed beans or lobia)
- kala chana usal
- mix sprouts usal
- malvani usal.
i usually make the misal less spicy as that how we prefer it. but there are some really spicy misal like the kolhapuri misal. i have also posted easy one pot method of making delicious misal pav recipe (with video).
i either make this usal curry made with matki sprouts or my mom’s usal recipe for making misal pav. in this recipe i have used homemade matki sprouts. if you want to know how to sprouts moth beans or mung beans, then you can check the method here on how to sprout mung beans.
misal pav can be had as a breakfast, snack or as a brunch. its a delicious and wholesome meal, especially if the pav (buns) is made from wheat flour or if you could make your own healthy bread.
i usually make whole wheat pav or buns at home whenever i make misal pav. i have also shared the recipe of ladi pav.
few more street food recipes you may like are:
misal pav
INGREDIENTS FOR misal pav
for the usal (sprouts curry)
- 2 cups moth bean sprouts (matki sprouts) or mixed bean sprouts - i used about 1 cup of moth beans to prepare the sprouts
- 2 small to medium potatoes, cubed
- 1 large or medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 to 2 green chilies (hari mirch), chopped
- 3 to 4 garlic + 1 inch ginger, - crushed in a mortar-pestle to a fine paste
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds (rai or sarson)
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
- 10 to 12 curry leaves (kadi patta)
- 1 to 1.5 tablespoon goda masala or kala masala
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi)
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder (lal mirch powder)
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder (dhania powder)
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder (jeera powder)
- 1.5 teaspoons tamarind, soaked in ⅓ or ½ cup water or 2 to 3 kokums
- ¾ to 1 cup water or add as required
- 3 tablespoons oil
- salt as required
for the misal pav
- 8 to 10 pav (bread rolls) or bread slices as required
- ½ cup finely chopped onions
- ½ cup finely chopped tomatoes optional
- ½ to 1 cup thick sev or farsan (chiwda), fried savory snack mixture
- 1 lemon or lime quartered or diced
- ⅓ cup chopped coriander leaves (dhania patta)
- ½ cup fresh curd or yogurt, beaten, optional
HOW TO MAKE misal pav
preparation for misal pav recipe
- rinse the moth bean sprouts first in running water.
- drain and then add the sprouts, cubed potatoes, ¼ tsp turmeric powder, salt in a pressure cooker. the water should be covering the matki sprouts about ½ inch above. if using mixed bean sprouts, you will have to add more water.
- pressure cook for 2 to 3 whistles.
- in a small bowl soak the tamarind in ⅓ or ½ cup warm water for 25 to 30 mins.
- squeeze the tamarind and extract the pulp. keep the tamarind pulp aside.
making usal for misal pav
- heat oil in another pan. crackle the mustard seeds first.
- then add the cumin and saute for some seconds till the cumin gets golden.
- add the chopped onions and saute till translucent.
- then add the curry leaves, ginger-garlic paste and green chilies
- stir and saute till the raw aroma of ginger-garlic goes away.
- add the remaining ¼ tsp turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, red chili powder and goda masala.
- stir and then add the tamarind pulp. saute till the raw aroma of the tamarind goes away.
- drain the pressure cooked matki sprouts and potatoes and add them to the tamarind pulp.
- stir and add ¾ to 1 cup water or more water if required.
- season with salt and simmer the usal for 8 to 10 mins on a low flame with occasional stirrings.
- lastly garnish with coriander leaves. if you want you can also add sugar or jaggery.
assembling the misal pav
- whilst the usal is simmering, you can prep the toppings for the misal pav.
- finely chop the onions and tomatoes. keep aside.
- take the steaming usal in 3 to 4 individual serving bowls or plates.
- in each bowl of usal, first add the chopped onions and tomatoes.
- then top usal with chopped coriander leaves. squeeze a few drops of lemon juice. then top it with farsan or chiwda.
- serve the misal bowl in a plate with pav buns and slices of lemon, chopped onion and mix farsan/sev/chiwda. enjoy the misal pav.
preparation to make misal pav recipe
1. rinse 2 cups of moth bean sprouts first in running water.
2. drain the sprouts very well and add them in a pressure cooker.
3. also add 2 medium sized potatoes (chopped), ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder and salt in the pressure cooker.
4. the water should be covering the matki sprouts about ½ inch above. if using mixed bean sprouts, then you will have to add more water.
5. add 1 teaspoon of salt or as required.
6. pressure cook for 2 to 3 whistles on a medium flame.
7. in a small bowl, soak the tamarind in ⅓ or ½ cup warm or hot water for 25 to 30 minutes.
8. squeeze the tamarind and extract the pulp. keep the tamarind pulp aside.
9. measure and keep all the spices ready for the misal pav.
making usal for misal pav
10. heat 3 tablespoons of oil in another pan.
11. crackle 1 teaspoon of mustard seeds first.
12. then add 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds. saute for some seconds till the cumin gets golden.
13. add one large or medium sized onion (chopped).
14. saute till the onions turn translucent.
15. then add 10 to 12 curry leaves, ginger-garlic paste (3 to 4 garlic cloves + 1 inch ginger, crushed to a paste in mortar-pestle) and 1 to 2 green chilies (chopped).
16. stir and saute till the raw aroma of ginger-garlic goes away.
17. add the remaining ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon coriander powder, 1 teaspoon cumin powder, ½ teaspoon red chili powder and 1 to 1.5 tablespoons of goda masala.
18. stir & mix the spice powders well.
19. then add the tamarind pulp.
20. simmer till the raw aroma of the tamarind goes away.
21. drain the pressure cooked matki sprouts and potatoes.
22. add them to the tamarind pulp.
23. stir and add ¾ to 1 cup water or more water if required.
24. season with salt as required.
25. if you want you can also add 1 teaspoon of sugar or jaggery.
26. simmer the usal for 8 to 10 minutes on a low flame with occasional stirrings.
27. lastly garnish with coriander leaves.
assembling misal pav
28. whilst the usal is simmering, you can prep the toppings for the misal pav. finely chop the onion and tomato. keep aside. tomatoes are optional and can be skipped if you want.
29. take the steaming hot usal in 4 to 5 serving bowls or plates.
30. in each bowl of usal, first add the chopped onions and tomatoes.
31. then top the usal with chopped coriander leaves.
32. squeeze a few drops of lemon juice. then top it with farsan or chiwda.
33. garnish with slices of lemon, chopped onion and mix farsan/sev/chiwda. serve the misal in a bowl or a plate with pav buns. enjoy the misal pav.
Hi Dassana
Smitha here.
Thank you for the recipes. This is my go to website for any vegetarian dishes.
Tried misal yesterday and it was yummy.
Had to experiment a bit though since I didn’t get stone flower.
I roasted the garam masala powder with the dessicated coconut and sesame seeds. Not too authentic I guess but it worked.My husband loved it.
Also made bharli vangi with the same masala instead of goda masala and it came out well.
Do keep cooking and posting such delicious recipes for us. 😊
hi smitha, thank you. both desiccated coconut and sesame seeds work wonderfully in misal and the taste is also good. stone flower has its own aroma that stands out in a curry or gravy or even biryani, but we have to do with ingredients that are easily available. thanks for sharing the variations you made and the rating too. yes i will be adding more recipe.
Hi mam…. Ur recipes are really delicious n very easy to make with proper quantities….
Step by step pics help us easy to cooking very well…
Thanku so much….
thanks a lot suwarna. glad to know that the step by step pictures are helpful. welcome and happy cooking.
Showing step by step pictures of the recipe is great help. Really appreciate this site and have tried many traditional recipes through your site. Keep it up.
thank you 🙏
Hi Dassana,
Can we add misal masala which is available in the market instead of goda masala?
Yes you can add misal masala.
Tried this today using mixed sprouts and it turned out really good.
thanks again winnie for the rating as well as the feedback.
Authentic, healthy and delicious
Yum yum 😋😋
Hi Dassana,
I am big fan of your simple yet elegant cooking,have been following your blog from past 5 years and I must say that the variety you possess is mind boggling! me being a foodie absolutely love it. tried usal today at home and it came out exceedingly well!
Thanks.
Welcome Nikhil. Thanks for your positive feedback and kind words. Glad to know that you are making recipes from the blog for last 5 years. Glad to get this appreciation from a foodie.
I think this is the most authentic misal pav ,i can try .Can you pls share the ingredients of kala masala. So that my misal tastes best and does not turn out to be another north indian dish.
thanks ajeeta. i have shared goda masala recipe and you can check it here on this link – https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/goda-masala-recipe-maharashtrian-goda-masala/
i will try to add kala masala recipe also.
Your recipes are excellent.
I have made Chole, Rajma, Misal Pav, South indian style hotel kurma, and Lauki with chana dal subzi, following your recipes and each one of them has turned out to be delicious.
Thank you so much for your precise instructions and step by step guidance in making the dishes. It is quite obvious that all your recipes have been tried and tested.
Thanks again.
Welcome Sarada. Thanks for giving your positive feedback on recipes. Yes you are right, all recipes are tried and tested.
Hi Dassana, I love your website and your style of presentation. Whatever I have tried has turned out to be excellent. 👍👍
thanks a lot veena and glad to know that the recipes you have tried have been excellent. thanks for the rating too. happy cooking.
Hello thanks you soo much for ur delicious recipes n ur immense efforts on showing it step by step. Have tired various recipes n all hv turned out awesome. Just wanted to ask along with moth beans sprouts which other sprout or beans can b used?
thanks a lot saniya for this feedback. you can use moong bean sprouts. you can also use mixed beans sprouts like black chana, white chana, black eyed peas (chawli), rajma beans, dried green or white peas, moong beans, val beans and moth beans.
Thank you Dasanna for this mouth watering recipe.Looking forward to prepare it ASAP
Welcome Manisha
Hie
Ausome recipes you share
Thanku for making me foodie
I just love your recipes…
This misel pav really came ausome
Welcome Reshu. Thanks for this positive feedback. Happy cooking.