Farali Misal recipe, the best fasting food!

The ultimate fasting dish from Maharashtra is called Upwas Chi Misal.

Maharashtra, a land of contrasts, where you have protein-rich missal pav made from sprouts you have carbs heavy dish for a fast made from sago and potatoes. Sabudana Missal is tasty and gives you the energy to do your day to day jobs.

Contents:

• A little about fasting
• So what is Farali Misal?
• Recipe Card
• Pro tips to make Farali Missal Recipe
• Pin for Later

A little about fasting

According to the Hindu calendar on Ekadashi, we fast this is once a month. Then people do fast for Navratri, Jamastmi fasts, Sankasthi, Hartalika. There are weekly fasts that people do. Different days are dedicated to different Goads and goddesses and fasting is done to appease them or thanking them for favours granted.

There are many ways to do this you may fast nirjali meaning without water and food, fal ahaar with fruits.  The choice is yours! You can ignore these days too after all the choice is yours.

The most common fast is on Ashhadi Ekadashi and fasting like an old lady said: “Ekadashi and double kahshi” meaning on Ekadashi you eat double. 

In Maharashtra, it is sabudana, potato and varaya che tandul that rule the roost.   Sweet Potato, jeera are allowed as fast foods. Hence Vrat ka Khana or Upwas ka Khana has hence become a genre of cuisine.  A treat as you enjoy the most delicious foods, think of the sabudana khichidi, sabudana wada, sabudana thalipeeth, ratali cha kees, batata cha kees. If you enjoy sweets then you have ratali cha shira.

I am from Karnataka so we have Hachid Avlakki or Upma or any kind of poha without onion and garlic is okay as fasting food. In Goa, Chapati and Usali are fasting foods.

When someone is fasting, which is very rare, in my place I make a Sabudana Khichdi. But this time when Apeksha, my elder daughter came down from Bengaluru she had a list of what I want to eat. One of them was Faarli Missal or Farali Misal.

So what is Farali Misal?

Faral is refreshment so light food is faral. Do not however go by the meaning this is carbs heavy dish and very filling.

The synopsis for faarali missal also called upwas chi misal is sabudana khichdi topped with potato vegetable, ground nuts or peanuts gravy, curds and farali batat chaya saali. One plate and you are done.

If you are bored of the regular Sabudana Khichidi, sabudana wada or varyache tandul then try making upwas chi missal.

What is Danaya Cha Kuut?

The most common ingredient in the Maharashtrian fasting cuisine is Danaya cha Kuut also called Koot, It is nothing but roasted peanuts powder. This powder is in the Deccan plateau used in place of coconut in everyday food. This powder acts as a thickening agent for a vegetable but the best part is it gives a distinct flavour to your food.

You will need it to make sabudana khichdi, Farali Misal. Try adding it to gawara bhopla chi bhaji it tastes great.

Ingredients are needed to make Upvas Che Missal

• Common ingredients for Sabudana Che Misal are
  • Danaya cha Kuut:  Roasted peanuts/ groundnuts roast them and coarsely grind them.  You can peel the skin off the peanuts before grinding. I do not peel the nuts.
  • Green chilli: Adjust as per taste now I need 6-7chillies. You can also use chilli paste.
  • Sugar: Just to balance the taste.
  • Salt: I always use regular table salt.  You can use sendhav namak or rock salt.
  • Ghee: no oil please but ghee,  clarified butter only is used for fasts.
  • Jeera: Cumin seeds this is the tempering ingredient for any upwas.
• Ingredients for the Sago Khichdi:
  • Sabudana:   Sago, rinse the sago in running water and add 1 cup of water and soak overnight.
  • Coconut: freshly grated coconut is something that is added traditionally again I have stopped adding coconut.
  • Lemon: Juice of 1 lemon you can adjust as per taste.
• Ingredients For the potato sabzi:
  • Potatoes: boiled peeled and diced in smaller sized cubes. 
• Ingredients for the peanuts gravy:
  • Peanuts: full groundnuts soaked overnight and boiled with salt in the cooker.
  • Water: enough water to soak the peanuts and then for thin gravy.

Method of making Farali Misal:

• Making the Sabudana Khichidi:
  • Wash and rinse the sago in the night, add water just about the height of the sago and let it stay covered. In the morning fluff, the sago a bit then add groundnut powder, lemon, sugar, 1 ½ tablespoon coconut and salt mix well. Set aside.
  • In a thick bottomed pan or kadhai/wok Heat  1 ½ tablespoon ghee and add cumin seeds fry till they change colour. Add the green chilli sauté. Add the sago mix well. Cover and cook till the sago is done. As the sabudana cooks get ready to cook the potato bhaji.
    • You can eat the sago and check if it is done but the test is that when done sago is a translucent ball and very soft to touch.
• Making the Potato Bhaji:
  • Boil the scrubbed potatoes in the cooker for 2-3 whistles. Let the pressure come down naturally. Peel and chop them in small pieces.
  • In thick kadhai/wok add ½ cup ghee and add the cumin seeds fry till they change colour. Add the green chilli sauté.
  • Add the potatoes and kuut (roasted peanut powder), salt Add 1 teaspoon sugar and mix well. Cook on low flame stirring constantly. The vegetable will stick to the bottom of the pan so sprinkle a little water.  Sprinkle please do not pour water.
  • Cook for 2-3 minutes or till you get a nice aroma.
  • Switch off the gas and let it sit covered till needed. Squeeze some lemon on the mixture and mix well.
• Making the groundnuts ready:
  • In the cooker when you are boiling the potatoes add these peanuts in a bowl. In case you have forgotten to soak them overnight it's okay.  Add ½ cup more water, salt and pressure cook for 3-4 whistles. Let the pressure come down naturally.
• Transfer the boiled peanuts to a saucepan, add salt and add 2 cups of water and kuut (roasted peanut powder) .  Bring to boil. Lower the flame. Stir and let it boil for about 5 minutes or till the water reduces by about ½cup. Cover and let it stand.
• Beat the curds.
• Chop the coriander leaves.
• Cut the Batat chya sali packet.

Recipe Card:

Pro tips to make Farali Missal Recipe:

• Farali Misal recipe is very filling and heavy so I make lesser quantity. This quantity is enough for a family of 6 adults.
• For the softer texture of sabudana khichidi after you wash and drain the sabudana add more water. Generally, I add 1 cup of water.
• My mother-in-law used to mix curds in the water and then add it to the sabudana. If you do follow this step avoid using lemon as you will get a bitter flavour.

Other Fasting Recipes you may like:

• Bhagari Chi  Kheer with Jaggery
• Sama Rice Pulao Recipe
• Aval Payasam – Rice flakes in coconut milk dessert

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