FOODIE SPECIAL ......................Moth beans maketh misal

Moth beans maketh misal



It was good to hear that the misal pav served at Aaswad in Dadar recently won an award for World's Tastiest Vegetarian Dish from some organisation called the FoodieHub Global Awards.

Anything that brings more attention to misal pav is good even if it requires suspending a sense of disbelief that any Mumbai misal pav could be better than Pune's. Much as I love Mumbai in most matters, I have to concede Puneri misal is usually way better (whether Kolhapuri misal is even better is something I will leave people from those cities to fight over).

But leave all that aside. Misal pav deserves all the attention it gets which has been mystifyingly little till now.Here is a snack dish that is actually healthy -a curry of sprouted beans, which sounds like something forcefed to inmates in weight-loss spas, but which is actually delicious and given excellent contrast in the farsan sprinkled on top and the pav to soak up the juices. Why does over-spiced and greasy pav-bhaji get all the attention and not this?
Misal pav is also one of the rare dishes that showcases moth beans. FoodieHub's website says it's made with mung beans, which is another reason to doubt their credibility, but to be fair the two look similar. Both are small with a prominent eye, but where mung, Vigna radiata, comes in elegant greens, or zippy yellow when unhulled, moth , Vigna aconitifolia, is like its country cousin, slightly larger, heftier and clad in unfashionable greenish-brown.

But as is often the case with country cousins, that dull look conceals sturdy virtues. Moth, or matki as it is also called, is one of the most drought resistant of beans, a particularly important quality when India seems to be heading towards both more frequent droughts and plateauing productivity of pulses. Moth's excellent protein profile combined with its hardiness might make it an increasingly impor tant crop. In semi-arid parts of Africa farmers are being recommended to grow moth.

The ability to thrive in near-desert conditions is one reason moth is much grown in Rajasthan and this has resulted in another famous use.Bikaneri Bhujia, now a geographically protected term for the crispy snacks, has traditionally been made with moth bean flour which apparently gives it a particular crunch and lasting quality. Confusingly though, one big manufacturer lists it as `tapary bean flour' which looks like a misspelling for tepary beans, Phaseolus acutifolius, another highly drought resistant bean from the Americas.

Assuming such Bikaneri Bhujia is still made with moth beans, it gives you the chance to make misal that is even more moth focussed. Aaswad has been commendably ready to share its recipe, so search for it online and make the curry with soaked moth beans. Then sprinkle it with Bikaneri Bhujia and add a salad of steamed moth bean sprouts tossed with lime juice, coconut flakes and coriander leaves. Along with the (admittedly moth-less) pav bun, this would be a .great way to celebrate this often overlooked bean

by Vikram Doctor

ETP17JUN15