Kolhapuri Misal is a dish that can be attributed to having attained a cult following in the Kolhapuri cuisine and has planted this regional cuisine firmly on the world map. A spicy curry of moth beans served with onions, farsan and relished with pav (soft bread roll)-this dish is a popular breakfast dish served in restaurants serving Maharashtrian food.
Having shared the recipe of Kanda Lasun Masala, it is now time for us to share some authentic recipes from Kolhapuri cuisine. This week we start with Misal Pav- a prominent dish on my list of breakfast recipes.
Typically the curry is made with Moth beans (known as matki in regional language). These beans are soaked for around 8-10 hours, and then water is drained out. These soaked beans are then tied in a muslin cloth and stored in a warm place which provides a conducive environment for sprouting. The other important ingredients beside onions and tomatoes are chili powder and Kanda Lasun Masala. Personally, I prefer the Misal to be fiery red in color and taste and I add jwari mirchi powder (or a spicy red chili powder). However, if you prefer a lesser spicy variant of the curry, Kashmiri chili can be added for its properties of producing fiery red color and for being less spicy. Kanda Lasun masala is an important ingredient of Kolhapuri cuisine and is added to the misal recipe. You can find many such regional spice mixtures (masalas) here.
The dish is served with the cooked matki topped with onions and farsan. A bowl of spicy curry also known as rassa, tari or kat is served at the sides. It is relished with Pav (soft bread rolls).
Prepare this classic Kolhapuri dish and have a spicy beginning to your day.
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 5-6

- 250 grams sprouted Moth Beans (Matki).Soak moth beans in water overnight. Drain water and tie moth beans in a cloth.Store these beans tied in cloth for 7-8 hours in a warm place.
- 300 grams onions, sliced (for masala)
- 200 grams onions, finely chopped (for tadka)
- 60 grams dessicated dried coconut
- 200 grams chopped tomatoes
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 10-12 cloves of garlic
- 1 inch ginger root
- 1 tbsp white sesame seeds
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- ¼th tsp asafoetida powder
- ¼ cup coriander leaves (cilantro)
- 4 tsp Jwari Chili powder (can be replaced with any spicy chilli variety)
- 6 tsp kanda lasun masala
- Cooking Oil
- Salt
- Heat 3 tbsp oil in a pan.Add sliced onions.Fry until onions turn golden brown in color.
- Meanwhile, we will dry roast white seasme seeds.Dry roast sesame seeds until it turns light brown in color.Sesame seeds turn brown in 1-2 minutes.
- Now dry roast coconut.Roast until coconut turns light brown in color.Allow this mixture to cool down.
- As onions turn golden brown, turn off the heat and let onions cool down.
- We will start with grinding masala paste.Put dry roasted coconut and sesame seeds into a grinder jar.Now add garlic, ginger,cilantro,fried onions.Grind these ingredients into a fine paste.
- Heat 5 tbsp oil in a pan.Add mustard seeds, asafoetida powder,finely chopped onions.Cook until onions turn tender.
- As onions turn tender, add chopped tomatoes.Cook tomatoes until it turns mushy.Add salt.When tomato becomes soft, add turmeric powder.Stir.
- Add sprouted moth beans (matki).We will cook moth beans for 8-10 mins to get rid of raw smell.
- After 10 minutes of cooking, add chili powder.Add Kanda Lasun Masala,Masala paste.Mix.Add ½ cup of water and cook well.
- After cooking for 7-8 mins on low heat.Add 4 cups of warm water,salt to taste.Mix and allow it to boil
- We had to add 2 more cups of water.Adjust the consistency as per your taste. Matki is cooked now and gravy is simmering.
- Turn off the heat and prepare to serve
- Serve Misal with farsaan, rassa/kat/tarri, chopped onions and relish with pav

Click here to watch recipe video
Wow what an awesome presentation. Super post. Thks for sharing the recipe. Have a good day 🙂
Thanks for liking the post and sharing your feedback Vanita. Glad you liked the presentation
How is Kat/Tarri prepared? Is it just the gravy served in a separate bowl or is it something different?
All recipes of Kolhapuri misal online were without Kanda lasun masala.
Dont know why I didn’t come here directly.
Will try this soon.
Why is there no “garam” element here
Thanks Rahul for stopping by 🙂 Kolahapuri Kanda Lasun masala itself is an amalgamation of Onion , garlic, coconut and whole spices, hence no need of additional ” GARAM” element here to make your Misal zesty 🙂