
Thane Breakfast | Puneri Misal is a typical Maharashtrian, delicious and nutritious breakfast on the streets of Thane.
Today we shall travel to Thane. Thane is a city just outside Mumbai, in the western Indian state of Maharashtra. It’s known as the ‘City of Lakes’ and has more than 30 lakes.
Misal Pav is a famous Maharashtrian Breakfast, and Puneri Misal is a very interesting variant of Misal. The Puneri Misal is slightly different from the Kolhapuri Misal as it is served with a Potato Bhaji and Poha. The Puneri Misal is a popular version of Pune, but its popularity has brought it to different towns and cities.
Puneri Misal is made with Matki Beans that are sprouted. It is spicy, though I always adjust the spice level to suit my family. Goda Masala is a Maharashtrian spice that is a must for this Misal. If you do not have it, go ahead and make it, it is simple. Else, you can always buy this spice from Flipkart. This particular brand is really good, though you can buy any other one too.

Ingredients required to make Thane Breakfast | Puneri Misal
Matki Bean Sprouts: I have used Matki Bean Sprouts to make this Misal, but you can use Moong Bean Sprouts or make Misal with boiled beans too. Check how to make sprouts.
Oil: I am a little lavish while using oil for the Misal. I have used rice bran cooking oil, but any cooking oil can be used.
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.
Tomato: I use finely chopped tomatoes, but roughly chopped ones will do as well.
Ginger Garlic: Ginger and Garlic both elevate the flavours of Misal. Do not skip it.
Spices: A special Maharashtrian spice, Goda Masala enhances the flavour of Misal. I like to make it at home. Besides this, I also use coriander powder, red chilly powder and turmeric powder. I like to use Byadagi red chilly as it is deep red and lends a beautiful colour to the Misal.
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.
Batata Bhaji: Simply toss the boiled mashed potatoes with salt and turmeric powder. Temper with mustard seeds and curry leaves.
Poha: A teaspoon or two of steamed poha tastes wonderful, omit if you are short of time.
Pav Bun: I serve Pav Bun or the Indian Laadi Pav, but you can serve it with bread slices too.

How to make Thane Breakfast | Puneri Misal
Let’s boil the Beans
Heat a tablespoon of oil in a pressure cooker and add mustard seeds. As soon as they splutter, add cumin seeds, curry leaves and a pinch of asafoetida.
Now add finely chopped onions, and fry them till golden. Add a teaspoon of ginger-garlic paste, sauté for a minute and add turmeric powder and mix well.
Add Matki sprouts, salt and about 11/2 cups of water. Close the lid and cook on a medium flame for one whistle. The sprouts will be done.
Make the Paste
In another pan, heat 1 tbsp oil and fry dry coconut slices till golden. Remove them and keep them aside after frying.
Now fry one sliced onion till it is nice and golden. Add tomatoes, and sauté for 4-5 minutes, or till it is soft and mushy. Remove from fire and let it cool.
After it has cooled, mix the coconut slices and grind them to a smooth paste.
Cooking Misal
Now take a pot, and add 3 tablespoons of oil. Add the prepared paste and sauté it for 3-4 minutes. Next add Godo Masala, red chilly powder, and boiled Matki sprouts along with the water. Adjust the consistency of kat and add another half a cup of hot water. Let the Misal boil for the flavours to infuse.
Assembling the Dish
Add a teaspoon each of Batata Bhaji and Poha. Next add the cooked Matki, topping with a ladleful of Kat.
Now garnish with farsan, chopped onions, coriander leaves and a lemon wedge.
Finish with some more kat on top.
Serve with Pav Buns or Bread Slices.

Serving Suggestions
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 a 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.
When serving Puneri Misal, Batata Bhaji, and Poha are added to the serving plate before adding the sprouts and kat.
We normally serve Puneri 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.
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.
Different Types of 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 also 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.
I prefer to cook the sprouts in a pressure cooker, it is quick and saves a lot of time.
If you like to cut down the spice, add a small piece of jaggery.

Thane Breakfast | Puneri Misal
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker
- Pan / Kadai / Wok
Ingredients
- 11/2 cups Matki Sprouts
- 1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
- 1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds
- Few Curry Leaves
- Pinch Asafoetida
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
- Salt to taste
Paste
- 1 tbsp Oil
- 4-5 Dry Coconut slices
- 1 Onion sliced
- 2-3 Tomatoes roughly chopped
Misal
- 3 tbsp oil
- Goda Masala
- Red Chilly Powder or as per your taste
- Salt ro taste
Other Ingredients
- Batata Bhaji
- Poha
- Farsan
- Onion chopped
- Coriander Leaves chopped
- Lemon Wedges
Instructions
- Heat a tablespoon of oil in a pressure cooker and add mustard seeds . As soon as they splutter , add cumin seeds, curry leaves and a pinch of asafoetida.
- Now add finely chopped onions , fry them till golden. Add a teaspoon of ginger garlic paste, sauté for a minute and add turmeric powder and mix well.
- Add Matki sprouts, salt and about 11/2 cups of water. Close the lid and cook on medium flame for one whistle. The sprouts will be done.
- In another pan , heat 1 tbsp oil and fry dry coconut slices till golden. Remove them and keep aside after frying.
- Now fry one sliced onion till it is nice and golden. Add tomatoes, sauté for 4-5 minutes , or till it is soft and mushy. Remove from fire and let it cool.
- After it has cooled, grind to a smooth paste.
- Now take a pot , add 3 tablespoons of oil. Add the prepared paste and sauté it for 3-4 minutes. Add Godo Masala, red chilly powder, boiled Matki sprouts along with the water. Add another half a cup of water and let boil for the flavours to infuse.
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
Morbi Breakfast | Poori Shaak Ganthiya
Okha Breakfast | Channa Chevdo
June
Patna Breakfast | Poori Sabzi Thali
Qadirpur Breakfast | Kachori Aloo Sabzi
Rajkot Breakfast | Dal Pakwan Samosa
July
Wow this is yet another wonderful breakfast Vaishali…as you know your entire list is bookmarked!..can’t say which one to begin with!..