Misal Pav Recipe

Updated: April 1, 2025, By Swasthi

This Misal Pav is as hearty and rustic as you’ll find. It’s not one simple dish but an amalgam of unique foods – a sprouts curry served with butter toasted dinner rolls/ pav, farsan and fresh chopped onions. Misal Pav is almost like a meal prep food but one that brings you a blast of flavors from hot to tangy. I also have a less-spicy kids’ friendly version at the end of this post.

Misal pav, a popular strret food from Maharashtra

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This 100-year-old street food with its variations is popular in Maharashtra. Misal Pav is one of the few unadorned street foods that have made the leap from hand carts and factory canteens to fast food joints and fine dine restaurants.

About Misal Pav

Misal pav is a popular Maharashtrian street food consisting of a sprouts curry (usal), topped with onions & farsan, and served with pav, Indian dinner rolls. Sprouted lentils or moth beans (matki) are simmered with coconut, tomato and spices into a curry/ gravy (usal).

The usal is dunked in just the right amount of chili, onion and spice infused thin gravy (kat or rassa). The crunchy toppings of fried savory (farsan) and onion complete the look and complement the texture and flavor of the dish.


While the Kolhapuri misal is not for the faint-hearted, there is the milder Pune version. If you’re looking for an easier and quicker recipe, the Mumbai version is the way to go. My recipe can be modified to suit different heat levels – mid, medium and hot. Serve it with buttered pav or bread slices to create a vibrant weekday meal or school/office lunch.

There are different ways to make kat and usal. An authentic misal pav always has four components – sprouted bean curry(usal), spicy gravy (rassa), crunchy toppings and bread rolls. But making this takes a bit of time as the usal and the kat/rassa are made separately. Here my recipe shows how to make the easiest yet super delicious and flavorful misal pav without the need to make kat separately.

More Maharashtrian recipes
Vada Pav
Dhokla Recipe

Poha recipe
Masala pav
Pav bhaji

Photo Guide

How to make Misal Pav (stepwise photos)

If you have the store bought misal masala and sprouts ready, you may jump to the next section to make usal. I make everything from scratch which I share below.

Make Misal Masala or use store bought spice blend

1. Below are the ingredients you need to make misal masala.

spices for misal masala

2. Heat a pan on a low heat and add the following

  • ¼ cup chopped dried coconut (35 grams), you may replace with desiccated coconut or unsweetened coconut flakes
  • 2 tablespoons coriander seeds
  • 8 to 10 red chilies (you may use lavangi chillies for extra heat)
  • 6 cloves
  • 1 ½ inch cinnamon (a few layers if using Ceylon cinnamon)
  • 1 black cardamom
  • 3 to 4 green cardamoms
  • 1 strand mace
  • 1 star anise
  • 8 to 10 black pepper
  • ½ tbsp. stone flower

3. Roast all of them for 2 minutes or so until slightly fragrant. Then add 1 teaspoon cumin seeds and 1 teaspoon fennel seeds. Roast them slightly until they begin to smell good, not too long

4. Add ½ tablespoon sesame seeds + ½ tbsp. poppy seeds (omit if you don’t have). Please smell and taste them to ensure they have not gone rancid.

5. Add 3 to 4 garlic cloves (5 grams). Toast them until they turn little dry & warm. Ensure you don’t burn any of the spices and the flame is low throughout. Set these aside to cool. Slice 1 medium red onion thin and evenly, so they fry easily and well. Add 1 tbsp oil to the same pan. Heat it and saute the onion slices on a medium heat until golden brown and not burnt, about 10 to 12 mins. I went the easier way and dehydrated them in the air fryer until crisp, adjusting between high and low settings.

6. When all of these cool, grind the spices (not onions and garlic) in intervals of 30 to 40 seconds. Also add the following while you grind

  • ¾ teaspoon ground ginger (dried ginger powder, saunth)
  • 1 to 1 ½ tablespoon red chilli powder (I used Kashmiri for color)

7. Add the onions and garlic. Pulse in intervals to a slightly coarse powder. If you overrun your grinder you may have a clumpy masala. Store this in an air tight jar. Freeze the leftovers later, after making the misal pav. This recipe makes about 15 tablespoons of misal masala. You will be able to make 3x of the usal using this spice powder. If you want to make kat separately then use another 2 to 3 tablespoons for that..

Sprouting Matki

8. For this recipe you will need 2 cups of sprouts (250 grams). You may omit this step if you have them. Rinse and soak half cup matki (moth beans) for at least 8 hours. Drain them completely and add them to a thin moist muslin cloth. Make a tight knot and keep it in a container. Place it in a warm place, depending on the weather conditions they will sprout. Mine sprouted in just 5 hours. You can also sprout peas or any other beans if you don’t have matki.

9. Crush or grate together 3 to 4 garlic cloves, 1 inch ginger and optionally 2 tablespoons desiccated coconut in a grinder. Keep this aside. Also chop 1 onion (1 cup fine chopped) and 1 large tomato about ¾ cup (deseeded and chopped).

Make Usal/ Curry

10. Heat 3 to 4 tablespoons oil in a pot and add ¾ teaspoon mustard seeds. When the seeds splutter, add ¾ teaspoon cumin seeds and 1 sprig curry leaves. Sauté until the cumin turns golden brown & curry leaves turn crisp. Then add â…› teaspoon hing.

tempering spices in oil for misal pav

11. Add 1 cup fine chopped onions (1 large onion) and saute them until transparent.

saute onions in oil

12. Add crushed ginger garlic and coconut. Saute on a medium to low heat until aromatic for about 2 minutes.

ginger garlic and coconut

13. Add ¾ cup tomatoes and half tablespoon salt. Saute until tomatoes soften.

add tomatoes and salt to make misal pav

14. Add ¼ teaspoon turmeric, 1 to 1½ teaspoon red chilli powder and 2 to 4 tbsps of misal masala or goda masala. Adjust as needed to suit your spice levels. I used 1½ teaspoon red chilli powder and 5 tbsps of homemade misal masala for an extra spicy version.

add spice powders to the pot

15. Saute for 2 minutes on a low heat until you smell the masala good. Then add 3 tbsps of coriander leaves and saute.

add coriander leaves to make the gravy for misal

16. Add 2 cups of sprouts (250 grams). Pour 4 to 5 cups of water depending on how much gravy you want. I used 5 cups water. To speed up the cooking you may use hot water. For every tbsps of masala I use 1 cup water. So adjust & match the water and spice powder accordingly to suit your taste.

add matki sprouts

17. Give a good stir and bring it to a rolling boil on a high heat. Then add 1 tsp tamarind paste (optional). If you don’t have the paste, soak 1 tbsp tamarind in half cup hot water, squeeze it and then filter it here.

tamarind paste

18. Add 1 tbsp jaggery (optional). Once it comes to a rolling boil, reduce the heat and cook until the sprouts turn tender yet remain crunchy. It took me just 7 to 8 minutes. Taste test and adjust at this stage. You may add in more salt or masala at this stage but not red chilli powder.

add jaggery to make misal pav

19. Once done, you will see oil floats on top. Turn off the heat.

misal with tari or rassa

Toast Pav

20. You need 8 pavs to serve. Add 1 tbsp butter to a hot frying pan or griddle and toast 4 pavs for 2-3 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove and add the rest of the butter. Toast the other 4 pav. I go the easier way and do it in the oven as it is faster if you are doing many.

toasting dinner rolls

21. I slit the pav and spread soft butter on the them. Toasted in the oven in the center rack for 3 to 4 minutes at 360 F or 180 C. Keep an eye on them as they get browned too fast.

spread butter on the dinner rolls

Assemble Misal Pav

You also need 1/4 cup chopped onions, 2 tablespoons coriander leaves, lemon wedges and ½ cup farsan / thick sev (mixture) or crushed tortilla chips to serve. Transfer usal to 4 individual serving bowls.

usal to assemble misal pav in a bowl

Top with the thin gravy/ ras.

pour tarri over the usal

Squeeze in some lemon juice. Garnish with farsan, onions and coriander leaves. Serve misal pav immediately.

Misal Pav Recipe

Faqs

What do you eat with misal pav?

This street food is traditionally served with toasted pav (Indian dinner rolls) or sliced white bread. You can enjoy the misal with other breads like burger buns and pita.

Can I store misal pav?

Yes it stores well for about 4-5 days in the fridge. Store it in an airtight container. You can freeze it for 1-2 months without losing flavor. Defrost it and warm in the microwave or stovetop. Add water to thin it out. Store for a quick meal on a busy weekday.

Is the recipe scalable?

Of course! Double or triple the recipe. Make single or double serve. Make a big batch and Reduce or increase the amount of sprouted beans, kolhapuri or misal masala and vegetables. Adjust salt, spices and other add ins. Taste and season.

Is this vegan?

This makes a perfect vegan dish as there is no dairy food in the main recipe.

Can I make it gluten-free?

Definitely. Use gluten free dinner rolls or buns. Check out my serving suggestion for more options.

Expert Tips

  • You can use any kind of sprouts to make this.
  • Adjust the spices as desired.
  • You can also add a potato to this.
  • If you do not have goda masala use pav bhaji masala or garam masala. The flavors will be different but good.

Related Recipes

Recipe Card

misal pav recipe

Misal Pav Recipe

4.99 from 88 votes
Misal Pav is as hearty and rustic as you’ll find. Love lentils and spicy Indian food? Want a vibrant, scrumptious meal that you can serve anytime, anywhere? This street food is perfect for you.
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For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card

Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Servings4
AuthorSwasthi

Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )

  • 2 cups matki sprouts or mixed sprouts (250 grams sprouts, or ½ cup dried beans)
  • 3 to 4 tablespoon oil (refer notes)
  • ¾ teaspoon mustard seeds
  • ¾ teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 sprig curry leaves
  • â…› to ¼ teaspoon hing / asafoetida
  • 1 cup onions (fine chopped, 1 large onion)
  • 3 to 4 garlic cloves
  • 1 inch ginger (peeled)
  • 2 tablespoons desiccated coconut (if possible copra or unsweetened coconut flakes)
  • ¾ cup tomatoes (deseeded & fine chopped, 1 large tomato)
  • 3 tablespoons coriander leaves fine chopped
  • ½ to ¾ tablespoon salt (adjust to taste)
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 to 1½ teaspoon red chili powder (adjust to taste)
  • 2 to 4 tablespoons goda masala /misal masala (make your own from post or refer notes for substitutes)
  • 1 tablespoon jaggery (optional, adjust to taste)
  • 1 teaspoon tamarind paste (optional, or tamarind water as needed)
  • 4 to 5 cup water

To serve

  • 8 pav/ buns (or as needed)
  • 2 tablespoons butter (to toast pav)
  • ¼ cup onions (1 small onion fine chopped)
  • 1 lemon
  • 2 tablespoons coriander leaves fine chopped
  • ½ cup farsan / thick sev (mixture) or crushed tortilla chips

Instructions

Sprouting – omit this if you have sprouts

  • Rinse half cup matki well and soak them in enough water for 8 hours. Later, drain the water completely and wrap them in a clean cloth or add to a box. Cover well and keep it in a dark warm place for 12 to 24 hours to sprout.
  • Depending on the temperature they will sprout. If the weather is too hot, sprinkle some water on them when the cloth dries up.

How to Make Misal

  • Grate or grind together ginger garlic and coconut in a small grinder. Keep this aside.
  • Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard and cumin seeds. When they splutter add curry leaves.
  • Saute till the leaves turn crisp. Then stir in hing. Add onions and saute until translucent. Then add ginger garlic coconut paste & saute till it turns aromatic for 2 to 3 minutes.
  • Add tomatoes and salt. Cook until the tomatoes turn completely mushy and soft.
  • Add chili powder, misal masala or goda masala & turmeric. Mix and cook until oil begins to separate, just for 2 minutes.
  • Next add the sprouts and pour water as needed to make the kat or tarry. If you prefer more kat you can pour upto 5 cups like I did. For a less kat, add 3 cups.
  • Mix everything and bring it to a rolling boil. Reduce to medium heat and cook for 5 minutes till the oil floats on top and the sprouts are cooked, yet firm.
  • Taste test and add more salt or misal masala or goda masala if needed.
  • Slice the each pav to 2, keeping one of the sides intact. Spread soft butter on one side and toast them on a pan. Alternately you may place all the buttered pavs on a prepared baking tray and bake for 3 minutes in the top rack. Adjust the time as required, no preheating required.
  • Transfer misal to 4 serving bowls. Sprinkle lemon juice, onions, coriander leaves and then farsan.
  • Serve misal pav immediately.

Notes

  • To make your own misal masala at home, check out the misal masala section in the post.
  • If you do not have them then add garam masala, coriander powder and red chilli powder. For a better version you can also grind all of these with some sesame seeds. 
  • Goda masala and misal masala come in different spice levels so it is important to adjust the quantity as needed. 
  • For every tablespoon of masala I use 1 cup water. Match them accordingly and use.
  • You can use any kind of sprouts to make this.

Video

NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)

Nutrition Facts
Misal Pav Recipe
Amount Per Serving
Calories 880 Calories from Fat 216
% Daily Value*
Fat 24g37%
Saturated Fat 7g44%
Trans Fat 1g
Cholesterol 15mg5%
Sodium 1441mg63%
Potassium 1821mg52%
Carbohydrates 129g43%
Fiber 6g25%
Sugar 14g16%
Protein 40g80%
Vitamin A 959IU19%
Vitamin C 53mg64%
Calcium 475mg48%
Iron 17mg94%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Tried this recipe?Mention @SwasthisRecipes or tag #swasthisrecipes!

© Swasthi’s Recipes

Old version (kids’ friendly)

This is the old version of the misal pav recipe which I shared in Dec 2012. This version is less spicer and is kids’ friendly too.

Ingredients

1½ cups matki sprouts or mixed sprouts (or ¾ cup moth beans/matki)
1 cup water to cook matki
1½ tablespoon oil
1 cup finely chopped onions (1 large onion)
½ cup finely chopped tomatoes (1 large tomato)
1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste (or finely chopped)
½ to ¾ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon turmeric
½ to ¾ teaspoon red chili powder (adjust to taste)
½ teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon goda masala (if you don’t have use ½ tsp more garam masala)
½ teaspoon coriander powder (optional)
½ to ¾ cup water or as needed for kat
6 pav buns
Garnishing
¼ cup chopped onions 1 small
2 tablespoons Lemon juice
2 tablespoons Coriander leaves fine chopped
½ cup farsan / thick sev

Instructions

1.Sprouting – Skip this if you have sprouts
Rinse matki well and soak them in enough water for 6 hours. After 6 hours, drain the water and wrap them in a clean cloth or add to a box. Cover well and keep it in a dark warm place for 12 to 24 hours to sprout.
Depending on the temperature they will sprout. If the weather is too hot, sprinkle some water on them when the cloth dries up.

2. Cooking sprouts
Add the matki sprouts to a cooker or pot along with 1 cup water. Cook on a medium heat for 10 minutes. You don’t need to wait for the cooker whistle. Idea here is to just cook them partially. If using any other beans other than matki, you may need to cook for longer.

3. How to make misal pav

  • Heat oil in a pan. Fry onions until golden.
  • Then add ginger garlic paste & saute until the raw smell goes off.
  • Add tomatoes, turmeric and salt. Cook until the tomatoes turn completely mushy and soft.
  • Add chili powder, goda masala, garam masala & coriander powder. Mix and cook until oil begins to separate.
  • Now add the cooked matki along with the left water. Also add more water as needed to make the kat or tarry. Taste it and add more salt or goda masala if needed.
  • Cook on a medium heat for 5 minutes till the oil separates.
  • Transfer misal to serving bowls. Sprinkle lemon juice, onions, coriander leaves and then farsan.
  • Serve misal pav immediately. Optionally you can also butter the pav and heat them.

This Misal Pav recipe post is from the archives. First published in December 2012. Updated in April 2025.

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About Swasthi

I’m Swasthi Shreekanth, the recipe developer, food photographer & food writer behind Swasthi’s Recipes. My aim is to help you cook great Indian food with my time-tested recipes. After 2 decades of experience in practical Indian cooking I started this blog to help people cook better & more often at home. Whether you are a novice or an experienced cook I am sure Swasthi’s Recipes will assist you to enhance your cooking skills. More about me

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Comments

4.99 from 88 votes (67 ratings without comment)
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4 stars
I am a true fan on Swasthi recipes. Each recipe is meticulously planned and the outcome is always awesome. This recipe also is also great and I got a very tasty dish at the end. Thanks for sharing your expertise. , Particularly this recipe inhave a feedback, the structure is so confusing. ingredients and items used in cooking procedure do not match. Too many variations within the flow and going back and forth to refer to causes too much confusion. If this flow and revisit to the procedure to use the proposed ingredients in a proper way will be of great help.

5 stars
Looks so delicious that I can’t wait to try it out. You have made the recipe so simple that Misal pav will be our dinner tomorrow .Thank you Swasthi

Wow..an authentic misal pav we had. This was the first time i attempted and it turned out super delicious. I can’t thank you enough Swasthi for the recipe.

5 stars
Great simple and beautiful

5 stars
Misal pav is our absolute favorite and this turned out so good. I also made the misal masala and hoping to make this for diwali again. Thank you

Looks delicious. I am going to try it definitely. I don’t have dry ginger powder for misal masala. Can I use any alternative?

Hi Swasthi,
Every Day is a Schoolday on this site. I’m 50 years old and you are teaching me far more than half of things that I learned at school.
Stoneflower, I have discovered just now is available on Amazon etc.
I just need to work on the Wallet holder…it could be some time though as I have just ordered Mexican,African and Indian spices, including Long pepper.
The Pavs look very familiar. We have bread in the U.K. which looks very much like those in the picture, although I don’t know if they taste the same.
This recipe is definitely in the queue!

Thanks again for your inspiration.
Paul

Paul.

This recipe looks delish. Trying to make the misal masala. Do you have a substitute for poppy seeds and stone flower? Also what is dehydrating option in air fryer? Mine doesn’t seem to have that. Can you explain that

5 stars
Delicious misal pav! We used mung bean for moth and pav bhaji masala. Worked like a charm. Served it with homebaked sourdough bread. This is going to be a staple.

5 stars
First time making this. Turned out delicious.

5 stars
I wonder how you get such good color in your dishes. Mine turned out brown but delicious.

5 stars
I love your recipes and this Misal pav turns out lovely every time. Thank you very much

Sorry for the above comment. Written by mistake. Just wanted to say that we don’t use Jagger tamarind for Mumbai misal. That is used in puneri misal

We don’t use mustard oil in maharashtrian food.

5 stars
Thank you Swasthi! This tasted amazing as everyone else here said. I think I am addicted to your cooking style and can’t do without your recipes. Sandwiches biryanis ladoos and what not I have been making and everything turns out so good. Thank you for being there all the time!

5 stars
This recipe is absolutely delicious. I can’t tell you how much my husband loved this. The misal masala is indeed wonderful. Lately I have been using it even in curries and many rice bath dishes.Thank you for the amazing recipe. Will be exploring more recipes from your blog.

5 stars
I made this a couple of times and turns out fantastic. My husband is a big fan of this missal pav. He loves the spice level and the flavour is amazing. Thank you.

5 stars
Ohhh! This was a huge hit with my family. Followed the recipe to the T. Thank you.

5 stars
Not as spicy as the kolhapuri misal but very delicious. Next time I will up the chilli powder. Thank you.

Can you e-mail me the old version of the recipe?

5 stars
Thank you! I love this recipe!

Why have you changed this? I’m so disappointed.

5 stars
This looks awesome and delicious. Will be trying out soon.