Misal Pav Recipe | Mumbai Street Food | White Peas Usal | Chaat Recipes

Misal Pav is a very famous street side food of Maharashtra, specially Mumbai. A thick and spicy gravy made with peas called the usal is served with Indian bread known as Pav Buns. This recipe was this month's SNC challenge for Southern team, from Meenu of Random Ramblings, on behalf of the Northern team. Being a member of the Southern team I had to make this Misal Pav and post it on my space. Sherin @ Doc from Kuk's Kitchen challenged the Northern team with the my favorite, the authentic South Indian Medu vadas (Urad dal vadas) so the Northern team members were supposed to complete this challenge this month. I loved both the challenges equally, thanks Sherin and Meenu for the wonderful recipes. After Meenu posted about the challenge, I wanted to try the recipe soon, as it sounded and seemed to be my kinda recipe. I love spicy food and not to mention I love street side food too. So I wanted to make this Misal Pav as soon as possible and post it on my space. But people were so enthusiastic and faster that many had completed the challenge the next day the challenge was posed, I really appreciate their work, SNC seems to be getting good responses from bloggers and am happy I started the event, I got new friends and am learning good recipes too. Thanks to the SNC members, participants and hosts who had supported me in all ways. 

Though I had completed making the recipe soon, I waited for Christmas to get over so that I could post it then.  But in the mean time I tried this recipe twice and everyone in my family enjoyed it including myself. I have to thank Meenu for such a delicious and scrumptious recipe. I just enjoyed making, serving and eating it. I adjusted few things according to my preference like I had increased the spice level and served with the kind of mixture (Farsan) I got here in stores near me. I also tried two preparation methods and both turned out to be too good and served the same taste. Here I have shared both the preparation method, try the one which is sounds easier for you. You can serve usal with pav buns or just with onions and some chaat pooris, but serving with pav buns only makes the dish misal pav. After the pav buns were over I had it with chaat pooris and some chopped onions and it was such a delight. So try this way too. Each bite had all flavors in it, the chopped onions and farsan or mixture made each bite crunchy, the usal was spicy whereas the pav buns gave a sweet flavor, and together it tasted so delicious, I loved it so much and am sure you will love it too. Now lets see whats required and how to prepare this Maharashtrian delight. 

INGREDIENTS

Serves 3 people
Total Preparation Time - 40 minutes (Apart from soaking peas overnight)

1. White peas - 200 grams 
2. Big onion - 4 
3. Tomatoes - 2 
4. Garlic pods - 2 
5. Ginger - 1/4 inch piece 
6. Green chillies - 2 
7. Coconut - 1/4 cup (grated) 
8. Cumin seeds - 1/2 spoon
9. Red chilli powder - 1 spoon (use 1/2 soon if you don't want it to be spicy)
10. Coriander powder - 1/2 spoon 
11. Garam masala - 1/2 spoon 
12. Turmeric powder - 1/4 spoon 
13. Dry mango powder / Amchoor powder - 1/2 spoon powder 
14. Salt - As per taste 
15. Oil - 5 spoons 

For Garnishing and accompanying

1. Mixed farsan / Sev /  Mixture - As Required 
2. Pav buns - As required 
3. Big onions - 2 (chopped) 
4. Coriander leaves - Few (chopped)

PREPARATION METHOD

Pressure Cooking White Peas :

• Soak white peas overnight or for 6 hours in water. 
• Then drain excess water and add the peas into the a pressure cooker. Pour water until it gets immersed well. Then add salt and stir well. Close the cooker with lid and pressure cook for 5 minutes on low flame. Then remove from flame and open after pressure drops to check whether the peas has got cooked well. It should not be mushy but should have cooked well. 
• Now take two spoons of this cooked peas, add it to a blender and make a fine paste of it and set aside. 

Preparation Of White Peas Usal / White Peas Gravy :

• Now for preparing the gravy, heat a pan add 3 spoons of oil and after it heats up add add finely chopped onion, chopped ginger, chopped garlic and saute well until it turns translucent. 
• Then add finely chopped tomatoes, slit green chillies, salt and saute well util the tomatoes turn pulpy and gets cooked well add the red chilli powder, coriander powder, dry mango powder, garam masala, turmeric powder and cook until the raw smell leaves. 
• Then add the grated coconut and stir well for 2 minutes. 
• Remove from flame and set aside until it reaches room temperature.
• Now add this mixture to a blender and blend well into smooth paste . 
• Then place a pan on flame add 2 spoons of oil and splutter cumin seeds then pour this mixture into the pan
• Then add the cooked peas, and stir well. Pour a cup of water (you can use the water leftover after cooking peas) and mix well to adjust the consistency. 
• Then add the ground peas paste and stir well. Take another cup of water and add little by little until the masala blends well with the curry. Then when the gravy becomes thick remove from flame and serve!! 

Serving Method / Misal Pav : (Do this just before serving) 

• Now take this white peas usal that we have prepared and add it into a bowl. 
  
• Sprinkle some chopped onions, chopped coriander leaves and finally some, farsan / sev / mixture, over it and serve immediately with pav buns. 

PREPARATION METHOD - 2

(Both the preparation method requires the same ingredients but only the order of adding ingredients and certain preparation method differs)

• Pressure cook peas as I have said in my previous preparation method. Take some cooked peas and make a fine paste of it and set aside. 
• Add all the following ingredients to a blender and make a smooth paste out of it.

(For grinding into paste)

Big onion - 4 
Tomatoes - 2 
Garlic pods - 2 
Ginger - 1/4 inch piece 
Green chillies - 2 
Coconut - 1/4 cup (grated) 

• Now heat a pan and add 3 spoons of oil into it. Then add cumin seeds and let it splutter, now add the ground paste and stir well. 
• Then add red chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, dry mango powder, garam masala and salt and mix well on low flame. Add water (You can also cook water leftover from the pressure cooked peas) when it seems to thicken. Cook on low flame until the raw smell leaves. 
• Now add the cooked peas and peas paste and stir well. Add a cup of water little by little and cook until the gravy thickens and all the masalas blend well. 
• Serve like I have said in the above preparation method. 

TIP 1: You can use sprouted peas also. To make sprouted beans just soak dried peas in water overnight. The next morning, drain and discard water and tie this soaked peas in a wet cloth and set aside for 8 hours. By now it will have sprouted well, use this for making the usal (gravy). 

TIP 2: Making a paste of the cooked peas and adding it to the curry makes it taste so good. Use the leftover water that you have got from pressure cooking peas to make the usal, the taste will be too good. But this can make you bloated up so try to add some extra cumin seeds or use normal water. 

TIP 3: Both the methods gave the same result and taste. So you can try any of the above preparation method. 

TIP 4: I have added a spoon of red chilli powder to make it spicy you can reduce if you wish. Also my green chillies were bigger and so made the usal spicy, so check for the spicy level and adjust according to your wish. 

TIP 5: You can also drizzle some lemon juice just before serving. 

TIP 6: Sprinkle the sev or farsan mixture just before serving or else it will become soggy. 

TIP 7: If you wish you can serve the white peas usal with some crunchy chaat pooris instead of pav buns. 

TIP 8: You can also butter pav buns, toast it and then serve with usal. 

Scrumptious and spicy Mumbai Street Food, Misal Pav is now ready!! I loved it to the core and am sure you will love it too!! Give a try sometime!!

Linking this to Meenu's space and SNC page!!