Make Bread Upma
Bread upma is a popular South Indian dish. It’s quick to make, and you can even use your leftover or stale bread. If you’re a fan of savory breakfasts, this recipe will be perfect for you. If not, this dish can also be whipped up for a delicious afternoon snack. Open your spice cabinet, gather your leftover bread, and create this simple and tasty recipe.
Contents
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon (14.79 mL) butter
- 1/2 teaspoon (2.46 mL) mustard seeds
- Curry leaves
- 2 green chilies, slit and de-seeded
- 1/4 teaspoon (1.23 mL) asafoetida powder
- Coriander leaves, chopped
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon (14.79 mL) garlic, finely chopped
- One and a half tomatoes, de-seeded and chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon (2.46 mL) turmeric powder
- 1/2 teaspoon (2.46 mL) red chili powder
- Salt
- 1/2 cup (118.3 mL) water
- Juice from 1/2 a lemon
- 4 pieces of bread
- Sev and coriander (optional garnish)
Steps
Stir-Frying the Ingredients
- Heat the butter and mustard seeds in the pan. Set your stovetop to medium heat. This recipe calls for one tablespoon (14.79 mL) of butter, or about 1/8 of a stick of butter. Add your butter to the pan. Let it melt completely before adding the mustard seeds. Listen up, because once your mustard seeds start sputtering in the pan you’re ready to move on to the next step.
- Stir-fry your curry leaves, green chilies, asafoetida powder, coriander, and onions. Add your curry leaves and green chilies first, letting the curry leaves wilt a bit. Then, sprinkle in your asafoetida powder and your chopped coriander. Continue stirring as you add in your chopped onions.
- Mix in your chopped garlic. Continue stirring constantly to ensure your ingredients do not stick to the pan. Do not let your onions turn brown. Once the onion has become translucent, you are ready for the next step.
Creating the Paste
- Stir in your chopped tomato. Be sure to de-seed the tomatoes before adding them to the pot. Continue stirring constantly. Make sure that the tomatoes are thoroughly blended into the other ingredients.
- Add the turmeric powder, red chili powder, and salt. Measure out 1/2 a teaspoon for both the turmeric powder and red chili powder, but you can eyeball the salt. Add as much or as little salt as you like. Stir in your seasonings, and continue to cook the mixture until the tomatoes are soft.
- Pour in the water and lemon juice. The recipe calls for about half a cup of water, but you can add a bit more or a bit less, depending on the volume of ingredients in the pan. Then, squeeze the juice from half a lemon into your mixture. The easiest way to do this is to use a hand press lemon squeezer. Boil your mixture until the water has dried out, and your ingredients have formed a thick, paste.
- If you don’t own one, you can simply squeeze the juice into a separate cup, remove any seeds, and then pour the juice into your pan.
Finishing the Dish
- Add the bread pieces to the tomato mixture. You can use leftover or even stale bread. Cut or tear them into small pieces. Toss them into the mixture, and stir until all of the pieces are coated. Once the bread is covered with the tomato and spices, you’re all set.
- Sprinkle in some coriander leaves. This is the final ingredient you’ll be adding to the pan. Give the entire mixture one more thorough mixing. Turn off the heat.
- Garnish your dish and serve hot. Add a sprinkle of chopped coriander on top of your dish. If you have sev, this is a perfect final touch. Sev is an Indian snack of crunchy chickpea noodles, and it adds a delicious crunch to your dish. Enjoy your delicious bread upma while it’s still hot!
Tips
- If you’d like your bread to be a bit crispier, you can toast it before cutting it into pieces and adding it to the pan.
