Step into Maharashtra and you’d find the street carts laden with pavs. Pav, for the unversed, is a type of bun/bread which is popular in the state. The baked bread is cut into quarters and each quarter is called pav in Hindi. That’s how it gets its name. The interesting bit is that pav was not known to us until the Portuguese settled here. They brought the pav, potatoes and plenty of other food items with them, which have been adapted to the Indian cuisine really well today. My tryst with the softest pavs happened in Mumbai. Looking for a place to break our journey from Thane to Mumbai, we stopped at this small eatery which served all kinds of popular street foods. From the iconic vada pav to dabeli and more, their menu had several variations of pav that could be made.
Amidst all the choices, it was misal pav that caught our attention. While we expected a dry bun sandwich to be served on our plate, turns out, misal pav was actually a curry and pav combination. For those untouched by the phenomenon, misal is a spicy and hot curry made from moth beans and gravy. The misal is served with a side of bread roll or pav that is dipped into it. A popular breakfast item from the Maharashtrian fare, the aroma of misal pav travels pretty quickly from nearby homes and food carts on the streets. It is also eaten as a street snack near the Chowpatty, along with other quick bites.
However, the variations of misal are immense. As you drive from one part of the state to another, each region offers a special kind of misal pav, that is similar in some ways and distinct in some others. The Puneri misal would be very different from the one found in Nashik or Nagpur. Largely, a misal can be of two types, one is called rassa which is a water-like gravy and the other is ussal, which is comparatively a thicker mixture of sprouts. There are distinctions in the colour of the gravy too. For instance, Kolhapuri rassa has a red (laal rassa) colour and is too hot and spicy due to the use of onion and garlic masala.
Similarly, there is a green curry (hirwa rassa) and black curry (kala rassa) where the colours are attained through the use of natural ingredients like green chillies and coriander for the former and bay leaves and black pepper for the latter. These variations in the colour, texture and taste of the misal is what makes it unique in each region. The Khandeshi misal comprises of the kala rassa and is all things hot and spicy while the Puneri version is on the milder side, with chiwda and sev used for garnishing the potato-filled misal.
The accompaniments for the misal are also distinct in some parts of the state. Take the Nashik misal which is served with yoghurt and fried papad on the side and has a black curry to be dipped into. The spicy Kolhapuri misal takes everything a notch higher as the curry is served with bread and not pav, along with an onion-farsan garnish on top.
Here’s a recipe of a classic Maharashtrian misal pav that you can try for breakfast at home.