R Madhavan sneaks into Kolhapur just for a fiery dish that leaves him salivating: ‘You can feel stinging around your lips...'

For R Madhavan, some food cravings are strong enough to warrant a trip to another city. The actor recently revealed his love for Kolhapuri Misal, but it is not just any version of the Maharashtrian favourite that has won him over. Madhavan is particularly fond of the fiery Kolhapuri kat, the spicy, thin gravy that gives the dish its distinctive kick. He even admitted that he sneaks into Kolhapur specifically to enjoy the authentic version.

R Madhavan’s love for authentic dish

R Madhavan recently spoke about his favourite food in a chat with food blogging platform Yum Yum Kitchen on Instagram. The actor named Kolhapuri Misal with kat as one of his favourite Maharashtrian dishes. According to Madhavan, the authentic Kolhapuri kat has a distinctive quality that he believes cannot be recreated in Mumbai or Pune.

He described the original Kolhapuri kat as so fiery that, after eating it, you can actually feel a stinging sensation around your lips. Yet, despite the heat, Madhavan said the taste is so enjoyable that he keeps craving it. In the snippet shared by Yum Yum Kitchen, Madhavan revealed that he even sneaks into Kolhapur just to have the dish. He joked about salivating while talking about it before declaring Misal Pav his favourite Maharashtrian food.

How to make Madhavan's favourite spicy Kolhapuri Misal at home

If Madhavan’s description has made you crave a fiery bowl of Misal Pav, you can recreate a version at home with sprouted matki or other sprouts.

Cook a big cup of sprouts with salt and turmeric. The star of the dish is the kat, or thin spicy gravy, which gets its depth from a roasted masala.

For the masala, dry roast 1/4th dry coconut, 2 tsp coriander seeds, 1 tsp cumin, 2 tsp fennel, few fenugreek seeds, 5 Byadgi or Kashmiri chillies, a few black pepper, 1 tsp white sesame seeds, 1 tsp poppy seeds, 2 cardamom, 1 cinnamon, 6 cloves, small star anise and stone flower along with turmeric. Grind the roasted ingredients into a masala.

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Prepare the fiery kat

-Heat oil and sauté a big onion's slices, 7-8 garlic cloves and 1 inch ginger. Add 2 chopped tomatoes, 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, 1/2 cumin, curry leaves and a pinch of asafoetida. Stir in the prepared masala and red chilli powder.

-Add tamarind water, a little jaggery and salt, then allow the gravy to simmer. Finish with freshly chopped coriander leaves.

-To serve, place the cooked sprouts in a bowl and pour the hot kat over them. Top with finely chopped onions, tomatoes, coriander and farsan or mixed namkeen. Serve with pav and lemon wedges.

The result is a spicy, tangy and richly flavoured Misal Pav inspired by the fiery Kolhapuri version that Madhavan cannot seem to resist.