After visiting the Balaji temple, I did not want to go back to the hotel just for breakfast. I love street food and always grab opportunities wherever I could. So this was a day for me to munch into some of the local delights. No trip is complete without shopping. It was a shopping day for me and I had planned shopping in Laxmi Road. So I hired a rickshaw to get to Laxmi Road. But before I could start my shopping task, I wanted to have breakfast. There were a number of street chefs, who were busy preparing local delights like misal pav, usal pav, vada pav, poha and more. Being a Mumbaikar, I enjoy Maharashtrian food .It is a perfect blend of simple things that is stomach-filling any time of the day!
Puneri Misal I Image Resource : punerimisal.com
Everything looked fresh and hot, I chose to have Puneri misal, which is a popular dish in the city. Street food is tasty and is available at cheap rates. There were many people lined up for food, and I too placed an order for puneri misal. I had to wait about 15 minutes till my turn arrived. As the food was served, it looked alluring. The colors, combination of snacks and cereals…no wonder Maharashtrian dishes are unique and every one can enjoy the flavors. I am interested in doing a research on varieties of food in the places where I visit.
So here is something that can enlighten you about misal pav. It is a popular dish especially in Pune and Kolhapur. The flavors in both places differ slightly as the puneri misal had an additional ingredient phodniche pohe, which is prepared with poha, finely chopped onions, green chillies, and asafetida and mustard seeds. The snack is prepared with boiled and mashed potatoes, chopped onion, poha, matki (moth sprouts), farsan and kat (curry). Kat is a mixture of sweet and sour combination of vegetables, tamarind and masala powders that blends with other ingredients. It is served in layers and toppings with farsan and finely chopped onions. It goes perfectly with pav (bread).
I had a fabulous breakfast and proceeded to the shopping area in Laxmi Road.
Rugged Anay 