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Body · Lunch

Misal (Satvik Matki Usal)

Sprouted matki simmered in a spiced coconut-tomato curry, topped with crunchy farsan; the notebook's fiery Nashik-style breakfast, here made without onion or garlic.

Lunch · 20 min prep · 30 min cook · serves 3 Newly added

Ingredients

  • 2 cups matki (moth bean) sprouts
  • 2 cups water , divided
  • ½ cup coconut (fresh grated)
  • 1 tomato , chopped
  • 1 tbsp ginger (fresh) , grated
  • 2 green chili
  • 1 tbsp coriander powder
  • 1 tsp red chili powder , to taste
  • ¼ tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp goda masala , or misal masala
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • ½ tsp mustard seeds
  • 8 curry leaves
  • ¼ tsp asafoetida (hing)
  • to taste rock salt
  • 1 cup farsan (sev) , to top
  • 1 tbsp lemon , juice, to serve
  • 4 pav (bread buns) , to serve

Preparation

  1. Grind the coconut, tomato, ginger, one green chili and half the coriander powder with a little water into a coarse masala paste.

  2. Heat the oil, pop the mustard seeds, and add curry leaves and hing.

  3. Add the masala paste and cook 6–8 minutes until it darkens and the oil separates; stir in the chili powder, turmeric, goda masala and remaining coriander powder.

  4. Add the matki sprouts with 1½ cups of water and salt; simmer covered 8–10 minutes until the sprouts are tender but intact.

  5. Loosen with more hot water for a saucy usal; check the spice, misal should announce itself.

  6. Serve in bowls: usal topped with a handful of farsan, a squeeze of lemon, and pav on the side to mop.

In the tradition

Misal means “mixture”: sprouts, curry and crunch layered in one bowl. Street versions lean on onion and garlic, but temple-style and fasting versions prove the dish loses nothing when hing and roasted coconut take their place. The notebook’s masala, coconut ground with spice, is the Kolhapuri heart of it.

Sources & further reading

Classical citations mark where a tradition is drawn on; modern books are shared as further reading, not as prescriptions.