BM #113 : Week 4, Day 1
Theme : A-Z Curries

Have I ever mentioned that the Indian stores in US has a lot more variety in terms of grocery than the local stores in India? Since the stores here cater to all Indians, they are stocked up in stuff from all parts of India use. Where as a local South Indian store won’t stock up on an item like Goda Masala that’s not part of the South Indian lifestyle. They won’t be able to sell it and so naturally they won’t stock it up too.

The reason for me saying that is because I have never had Misal Pav at Trivandrum or Chennai. The first time I had this was at a chaat place couple of years back. It was here in US that I tried this popular recipe from Maharashtra!!

Anyway I was happy I had the opportunity to try it, because oh boy!! It was so delicious! I have already made the authentic version from scratch a couple of times, but I was not able to click pictures then. The recipe here is not the authentic version, it’s a shortcut all in one version from here. But this also tastes good, so now this is my go to recipe if I am not in a mood to make the masalas from scratch.

Read on for the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 2-3 tablespoons oil
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 10-12 curry leaves
• 4 green chilies or per taste
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 2” piece of ginger
• 1 big onion, chopped
• 3 medium tomatoes , chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon goda masala/garam masala/achar masala
• 2 cups moong or moth sprouts
• Coriander leaves to garnish
• Salt to Taste

Method:

1. In a small blender jar, make a coarse paste of green chilies, garlic and ginger. Keep aside.
2. Pressure cook the sprouts with 4 cups of water for one whistle. Let the pressure release naturally.
3. Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and curry leaves. Once the mustard crackles, add the onions and sauté until pink. Add the ground chili paste and cook for a minute more. Add the tomatoes and mix it in. Now add all the masalas- turmeric, chili, coriander, cumin and goda masala (or it’s substitutes). Cover and cook until the tomatoes are mushy. Add a tablespoon or two of water if it’s too dry.
4. Once everything is cooked through , add the sprouts along with the water it’s cooked in. Let it come to a boil and cover and cook for about ten minutes or until the oil floats on top. Turn off the heat.
5. Sprinkle chopped coriander on top.
6. To serve, add this curry to a bowl, add some farsan and finely chopped onions on top and serve with pav bread. I didn’t have any pav left, so I served with regular bread.