M for misal pav and M for Maharashtra! Every maharashtrian is familiar with misal pav…basically its the jodi of misal(which is the curry) and pav(which is the bread). So misal basically comprises of usal and the tarri/rassa.Usal is the sprouted lentils, tarri/rassa is the spicy gravy…while serving misal pav,chopped onion, tomatoes,farsan,shev,lemon juice are all mixed with the usal and tarri to form a crunchy mixed curry. There is usually a layer of oil seen floating on top esp in the ones served at roadside dhabas…and this is devoured with some hot pav or bread rolls.You dip the bread into this curry and also side by side keep having spoonfuls of this crunchy curry after every bread bite. I must say this does not really come in the healthy category of foods,but one can always use less oil and even skip the farsan and shev when making at home. However the true taste of misal pav lies in the combination of all – the usal,tarri,onion,tomatoes,shev,farsan topped with lemon juice.
The spice levels change from city to city ..both Kolhapur and Nashik misal pavs are usually more spicier, the Puneri misal is mild and has pohe in it too sometimes. In other variants even curd and potato sabji is served alongwith misal pav.
Those with a very sensitive stomach should mostly avoid misal pav as all the oil could affect your digestive system. But otherwise its definitely worth a try ..esp the roadside dhabas in Maharashtra mostly serve excellent misal pav.
There is even a barbeque misal concept these days in some restaurants where they serve different variants like kolhapuri,nasik,puneri,jain versions of misal pav. It is also accompanied with curd, potatoes ,chopped veggies.
Misal pav is mostly eaten as breakfast or as evening snacks. The tarri tastes great with plain rice even. So are you up to taste this yummy maharashtrian dish?!
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