Nashik Breakfast | Misal Pav is a popular dish from Maharashtra. It consists of a spicy curry with beans and a Pav bun. The final dish is topped with farsan and onions making it a unique and lip-smacking breakfast.
Today we are at the alphabet N, in our A to Z journey of Breakfast on the Indian Streets. I have chosen to share a typical Maharashtrian Breakfast, Misal Pav from the city of Nashik, also called Nasik. It is well known for being one of the Hindu pilgrimage sites of the Kumbh Mela. I also associate it with Shirdi as it is just 1hour and 30 minutes from Nashik, as a result, the city attracts a lot of tourists.
Coming to Misal Pav, Nashik has some very popular joints that sell authentic Misal Pav. Sadhana Chulivarchi Misal is a very popular joint and one of my favourite. They cook misal on a wood fire, lending a very delicious and unique flavour.
What is Misal Pav?
Misal Pav is a popular dish from Maharashtra. It consists of Misal and Pav. Misal is a spicy curry made from Moth Bean sprouts. It has a runny gravy, that is topped with farsan and onions and served with Pav. Traditionally we make Misal with Matki Bean sprouts, but we can also use Moong sprouts or white Peas. I have already posted a Misal with this combo. I have yet another version where I have used steamed Matki Beans and Potato. The variations are endless. The dish is a perfect protein-rich breakfast, which extends to a brunch or even a lunch or dinner.
Ingredients for Nashik Breakfast | Misal Pav
Matki Bean Sprouts: I have used Matki Bean Sprouts to make this Misal , but you can use Miong Bean Sprouts or make Misal with boiled beans. Check how to make sprouts.
Onion I divide the onion into three parts, one to make a paste, the second to make Gravy or Kat and finally to add on top. I prefer to chop it finely.
Tomato: I use finely chopped tomatoes, but tomato purée is fine too.
Spices: A special Maharashtrian spice, Misal Masala enhances the flavour of Misal. I use a store-bought one, but you can make it at home too. Besides this, I also use coriander powder, red chilly powder and turmeric powder.
Ginger Garlic: Ginger and Garlic both elevate the flavours of Misal . Do not skip it.
Farsan / Chivdo: A savoury mix of a variety of fried snacks that has a good shelf life. You can make this Chivdo at home or buy it from the store.
Pav Bun: I serve Pav Bun or the Indian Laadi Pav, but you can serve it with bread slices too.
How to make Nashik Breakfast | Misal Pav
To make Misal Pav, at first, we need to sprout the beans.
Cooking Sprouts
Firstly add sprouts, salt, turmeric powder and 3 cups of water to a pressure cooker. Pressure cook for 2 whistles. Allow the pressure to release naturally.
Let’s make the Paste
Heat a 2 tsp oil. Add chopped onion, ginger, and garlic. Saute for a minute. Now add the coconut and saute for 2-3 minutes. Remove from fire and allow the mix to cool. Grind to a smooth paste adding water.
Kat / Curry / Rassa
Heat 3 tablespoons of oil. Add mustard seeds, as soon as it splutters, add cumin seeds. Now add a pinch of asafoetida and curry leaves.
Next, add finely chopped onions, and saute till almost pink. Simmer the flame and add tomatoes and salt. Cook the tomatoes till soft and mushy. I sometimes add tomato puree instead of chopped tomatoes. Now add Kashmiri red chilly powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, misal masala and roasted besan. Besan is optional, I add it to make the gravy slightly thick and uniform. Cook this masala till the oil separates.
Now add the boiled sprouts, along with the water in which we have boiled them. Also, add boiling water to make the gravy. Oil will release immediately. Cook for 10 minutes and now we have a good layer of oil which indicates that the Misal is ready.
To Serve
On a serving plate, take the cooked matki and add some farsan over it.
Top with chopped onions and coriander leaves.
Also pour a ladleful of kat or gravy.
Serve misal with pav and lemon wedges.
Jalebi and Buttermilk are perfect accompaniments.
Serving Suggestions for Nashik Breakfast | Misal Pav
Misal Pav is one of the most popular and delicious breakfasts in Maharashtra. It is served with Farsan available at Sweet and Farsan shops. Farsan refers to salty snacks, here Farsan refers to the crisp dry variety that has a good shelf life.
At times we serve the Misal with Sev. Sev is fried, crisp variety of noodles. These vary in size and spices. You can use any variety of sev, I like it with Tikha Ganthiya and Homemade Roasted Namkeen.
We normally serve Misal with Pav, but bread slice works well too.
Chopped onions give a good crunch and compliment the Misal.
Misal is spicy, so buttermilk makes a good combination.
Jalebi is an Indian juicy sweet and is a perfect balance with Misal Pav.
Storage Suggestions
You can store Misal in the refrigerator for about two days.
I have not tried storing it in the freezer, as it has a lot of gravy.
Other Street Foods from Nashik
Vada Pav
Ulta Vada Pav
Bhel
Different Types of Misal
- Puneri Misal
- Kolhapuri Misal
- Nashik Misal
- Upwas Misal
- Mamledar Misal
- Dahi Misal
- Jain Misal
Notes
Typically we make misal with Matki or Moth Bean Sprouts, but I use White Peas, Moong Sprouts, Black Channa sprouts, or even mixed sprouts.
For Misal we need a little extra oil. Add hot water to the spice mix and the oil will immediately float up.
Besan helps to thicken the gravy and also binds the onion and tomato to a blended kind of gravy.
I prefer to cook the sprouts in a pressure cooker, it is quick and saves a lot of time.
Misal is a spicy curry, and I like to serve it with Buttermilk and Jalebi on the side. Both balance the flavours and take the meal to a different level.
Nashik Breakfast | Misal Pav
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker
- Pan / Kadai / Wok
Ingredients
For sprouts / Matki:
- 2 cup Sprouted Matki Moth beans / any sprouts
- 1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
- Salt to taste
Make a Paste
- 2 tsp Oil
- 2 ” Ginger
- 1 Onion
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 1/4 cup Dry Coconut
- 1/4 cup Water
Kat | Curry | Rassa
- 3 tbsp Oil
- 1 tsp Mustard Seeds
- 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
- Pinch Asafoetida
- Few Curry Leaves
- 2 Onion finely chopped
- 4 Tomato finely chopped
- 1 tsp Red Chilly Powder Kashmiri
- 1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
- 1 tsp Coriander Powder
- 1 tsp Misal Masala
- 1 tbsp Besan roasted
- Salt to taste
To Serve
- 2 cup Farsan / Chivda / Sev
- Onion finely chopped
- Coriander Leaves finely chopped
- Pav Buns
- Lemon Slices
Instructions
For Sprouts
- Firstly add sprouts, salt, turmeric powder and 3 cups of water to a pressure cooker. Boul for 2 whistle. Open the cooker only after the pressure is released.
Let’s make the Paste
- Heat a 2 tsp oil. Add chipped onion, ginger, garlic. Saute for a minute. Now add the coconut and saute for 2-3 minutes. Remove from fire and allow the mix to cool. Grind to a smooth paste adding water.
Kat / Curry / Rassa
- Heat 3 tablespoons of oil. Add mustard seeds, as soon as it splutters, add cumin seeds. Now add a pinch of thing and curry leaves.
- Next add finely chopped onions, saute till almost pink. Simmer the flame and add tomatoes and salt. Cook the tomatoes till soft and mushy. I sometimes add tomato puree instead of chopped tomatoes. Now add Kashmiri red chilly powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, misal masala and roasted besan. Besan is optional, I add to make the gravy slightly thick and uniform. Cook this masala till oil separates.
- Now add the boiled sprouts, along with the water in which we have boiled them. Also add boiling water to make the gravy. Oil will release immediately. Cook for 10 minutes and now we have a good layer of oil which indicates that the Misal is ready.
To Serve
- In a serving plate, take matki usal add some farsan over it.
- Top with chopped onions and coriander leaves.
- Also pour ladleful of kat or gravy.
- Serve misal with pav and lemon wedges.
- Jalebi and Buttermilk are perfect accompaniments.
Notes
Let’s check the Breakfasts that I have already posted in this series.
A -Z Breakfast on Indian Streets
January
Amritsar Breakfast | Chola Poori
Bhavnagar Breakfast | Chana Moth
Chandigarh Breakfast | Matar Paneer Paratha
February
Eklingji Breakfast | Mirchi Vada
Faridabad Breakfast | Katlambe Aloo Chole
March
Ghaziabad Breakfast | Poori Sabzi Halwai Style
Haridwar Breakfast | Chola Aloo Poori Thali
Indore Breakfast | Poha Jalebi
April
Jamnagar Breakfast | Bhareli Poori
Kolkata Breakfast | Pitai Paratha with Ghughni
May
That’s a gorgeous meal . Would love to have misal pav , it’s bursting with flavors . Very well presented , as always .
I had no clue that we have such a huge variety of misal, and lol on Jain Misal .
Jain missal is thing here ! Lol 🙂
The player incl the jalebi & missal lab looks fabulous to dig into
What a delicious meal! I love misal pav and this is an amazing treat for anyone. Right now I am craving reading this post and making it tomorrow.
wow Vaishali I am finding it difficult to express my thoughts after drooling over your pictures…and to boot you also share the hotel’s pic too…so wonderful!..how many versions of misal pav!.