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Bread upma
Bread cube stir-fry
ब्रेड उपमा: cubes of day-old bread tossed with mustard seeds, curry leaves, onion and tomato for a ten-minute breakfast
In hostel kitchens and busy homes from Pune to Hyderabad, the last slices of a loaf become bread upma by Monday morning. Cubes of bread are tossed in a South Indian tempering of mustard seed, urad dal and curry leaves with onion, tomato and green chilli, and finished with lemon and coriander. The bread soaks up the tangy masala and stays soft in the middle with a few toasty edges. It is a breakfast with filter coffee or chai and an easy school tiffin that children like. The common mistake is pouring water over the bread, which turns it to porridge; sprinkle just a couple of tablespoons over the masala, then add the bread and toss. Chef's tip: lightly toasted or a day-old loaf works best, as fresh soft bread goes gummy.
- Total time
- 20 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 3
Ingredients
For the upma
- 6 slices day-old white or brown breadcut in 2 cm cubes
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 tsp black mustard seeds
- 1 tsp urad dal
- 10 curry leaves
- 1 onionfinely chopped
- 1 tsp fresh gingergrated
- 2 green chilliesfinely chopped
- 1 tomatofinely chopped
- ¼ tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp red chilli powder
- 1 pinch sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp water
To finish
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ⅓ oz fresh corianderchopped
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Heat 2 tbsp sunflower oil in a wide pan over medium heat. Add 1 tsp black mustard seeds and, when it splutters, 1 tsp urad dal and 10 curry leaves. Fry for 30 seconds until the dal turns golden.
1 minStep 2: Add 1 onion, 1 tsp fresh ginger and 2 green chillies and cook for 3 minutes until the onion is soft.
3 minStep 3: Add 1 tomato, ¼ tsp ground turmeric, ½ tsp red chilli powder, 1 pinch sugar and ½ tsp salt and cook for 2–3 minutes until the tomato is soft and saucy.
3 minStep 4: Sprinkle 2 tbsp water over the masala, then add 6 slices day-old white or brown bread and toss gently for 2–3 minutes on low heat until every cube is coated and warm through.
3 minStep 5: Turn off the heat, squeeze over 1 tbsp lemon juice, toss with ⅓ oz fresh coriander and serve straight away.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 230 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 32 g
- Fat
- 9 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does bread upma take?
- About 20 minutes in total: 8 minutes to prepare and 12 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 3 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of black mustard seeds?
- Cumin seeds, same amount (different flavour, same crackle).
- What can I use instead of curry leaves?
- Leave them out, or add a strip of lime zest (there's no true substitute).
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