Misal Pav

Ingredients

• 300 g sprouted moth beans (matki), rinsed
• ½ tsp turmeric powder, for boiling the sprouts
• 4 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
• 2 large onions, thinly sliced
• 6 garlic cloves, peeled
• 2½ piece of ginger, roughly chopped
• 3 tbsp desiccated coconut, unsweetened
• 1 tbsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 4 cloves
• 1 small cinnamon stick
• 6 black peppercorns
• 2 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 pinch asafoetida (hing)
• 2 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder, or to taste
• 1 tsp turmeric powder, for the gravy
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tbsp tamarind paste
• 1 tsp jaggery or brown sugar
• 1½ tsp salt, or to taste
• 8 pav (soft dinner rolls)
• 2 tbsp butter, for toasting the pav
• 120 g farsan or sev, for topping
• 1 large red onion, finely chopped, for topping
• 1 tomato, finely chopped, for topping
• ¼ cup fresh coriander, chopped
• 2 lemons, cut into wedges

Instructions

1. Put the sprouted beans in a large pot with 600 ml water, the 1/2 tsp turmeric and 1/2 tsp salt. Cover and simmer over medium heat until the beans are tender but still hold their shape, about 20 minutes. Do not drain; the cooking water goes into the gravy.
2. While the beans cook, toast the coriander seeds, cumin, cloves, cinnamon and peppercorns in a dry frying pan over low heat for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant. Tip them into a bowl.
3. In the same pan, heat 1 tbsp oil over medium heat. Fry the sliced onions, garlic and ginger, stirring often, until deep golden brown, about 8 minutes. Stir in the coconut for the last minute until lightly toasted.
4. Cool the onion mixture for 5 minutes, then blend with the toasted spices, chopped tomatoes and 100 ml water into a smooth paste.
5. Heat the remaining 3 tbsp oil in a wide pot over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds and let them pop, then add the asafoetida, chilli powder and 1 tsp turmeric for a few seconds.
6. Pour in the blended paste and fry, stirring, until it darkens and oil separates around the edges, about 6 minutes.
7. Add the tamarind paste, jaggery, garam masala, remaining salt and 500 ml hot water. Simmer uncovered until the gravy (called kat) is thin, glossy and deep red-brown, about 15 minutes. Taste and adjust salt, tamarind and heat.
8. Spoon the cooked beans with some of their liquid into a serving pot and keep warm. Keep the kat separate so each person can pour over as much as they like.
9. Split the pav and toast them cut-side down in a hot pan with the butter until golden and lightly crisp, about 1 to 2 minutes.
10. To serve, ladle the beans into bowls, pour kat over the top, and add a handful of farsan, chopped onion, tomato and coriander. Finish with a squeeze of lemon and serve with the buttered pav straight away so the farsan stays crunchy.

Tips

• Add the farsan only at the moment of serving; it goes soft within a couple of minutes in hot gravy.
• If you sprout the beans yourself, soak dry moth beans overnight, drain, and leave them wrapped in damp muslin for 24 hours until small tails appear.
• Serve the kat hotter or milder by adjusting the chilli powder; a spoonful of extra kat on the side lets guests raise the heat.
• Browning the onions properly gives the gravy its depth, so do not rush that step.