''Misal'' ( Marathi: मिसळ isəɭ meaning "mixture"), is a very popular spicy dish in the

Western India Western India is a loosely defined region of India consisting of its western part. The Ministry of Home Affairs in its Western Zonal Council Administrative division includes the states of Goa, Gujarat, and Maharashtra along with the Union ...

n state of Maharashtra. The dish is mostly eaten for breakfast or as a midday snack or sometimes as a one-dish meal, often as part of misal pav. It remains a favourite snack since it is easy to make with affordable ingredients and has a good nutritional value. The taste of ''misal'' ranges from mildly to extremely spicy. And there are a lot of varieties as well. Misal is also a popular street food. The dish is always served hot. The dish originates from the boundary of Khandesh and Western Maharashtra. Present day Nasik and Ahmednagar districts of Maharashtra.

Ingredients

The ingredients of misal vary widely, and consist of a combination of the following: * ''

Usal Usal or Oosal ( mr, ऊसळ) is a Maharastrian dish made of legumes such as peas, lentils, black eyed beans, Matki, Moong or Hyacinth beans. Generally the beans are soaked in water and allowed to sprout for a day or two. The sprouted beans ...

'', a curry made from ''matki'' (

moth bean ''Vigna aconitifolia'' is a drought-resistant legume, commonly grown in arid and semi-arid regions of India. It is commonly called mat bean, moth bean, matki or dew bean. The pods, sprouts and protein-rich seeds of this crop are commonly consu ...

) or ''watane'' (dried pea) or even mung beans. * ''Tarri/kat/sample/rassa'', a spicy gravy. This is the heart of the dish and is usually made in many variants identified by colour as "kala rassa" (black), "laal rassa"(red), "hirwa rassa"(green) etc., with the most famous one being tambda-pandhra rassa. The colour of the tarri is imparted by the ingredients used and not by artificial edible food colouring agents. So a green tarri would be made from green chilies and corriander whereas the black tarri would be made from dry roasted bay-leaf and

black pepper Black pepper (''Piper nigrum'') is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, known as a peppercorn, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit is a drupe (stonefruit) which is about in dia ...

as main ingredients. The red tarri as expected would have red-chilli powder. * '' Batata Bhaji'' (boiled, diced potatoes, spiced with turmeric, chilies, ginger & mustard). *

Curd Curd is obtained by coagulating milk in a sequential process called curdling. It can be a final dairy product or the first stage in cheesemaking. The coagulation can be caused by adding rennet or any edible acidic substance such as l ...

called ''dahi'' in Marathi (optional) * ''Chivda (jaad poha chivda)'' * ''Farsan (not required if Chivda is used)'' * Garnish of onions, tomatoes, coriander, lemon wedge * Pav ''(Slice or Laadi)'' Kolhapuri Misal Pav

The ingredients are arranged in multiple tier fashion and served. * The first ingredient to be served is ''matki'' or moth bean ''usal''. ''Usal'' is sprouted beans cooked with tomatoes and onions. The nutritional value comes from the sprouted beans. * The second layer is Batata bhaaji spread thin over the usal * The third layer is Chivda also spread thin over the Batata Bhaaji. * The fourth layer is a mixture of Onions, tomatoes, coriander and thin Sev. * Tarri or Kat is added to fill up the bowl (more Tarri is served in a separate bowl) * ''Misal'' is served with sliced bread or a small loaf, in the dish '' misal-pav''.

Variants

* There is a variant called "upwaas misal" which can also be eaten in case a person is on a religious fast, typically ganesh chaturthi. It contains food items made from potato, sabudana, peanuts etc. * Mamledar Misal is in Thane City and is usually more spicy. * Puneri Misal is another version which contains pohe. * Katakirr, Masti Misal, Chulivarchi Misal, Bedekar, Shri Krishna and Shree Upahar Gruh are amongst the more popular restaurants serving Misal in Pune * The Kolhapuri version of ''misal'' is usually spicy and does not contain ''pohe'' and is served with thick slices of bread, not pav. ''Phadtare misal'' is famous in Kolhapur. * In the Nasik region, misal is mostly served with a fried papad. * ''Dahi misal'' is also one of the widely eaten forms, where

curd Curd is obtained by coagulating milk in a sequential process called curdling. It can be a final dairy product or the first stage in cheesemaking. The coagulation can be caused by adding rennet or any edible acidic substance such as l ...

is added to balance the spicy taste. * ''Jain misal'' is another new variant in the misal industry, which does not contain any onion or garlic. Even the ''matki'' used is not sprouted, but just soaked. 'masti misal' in Pune is famous for its Jain misal.

References

{{Indian Dishes Maharashtrian cuisine Vegetarian dishes of India