Bread Upma

How to make bread upma

1. Chop the bread slices in cubes. Keep aside. Here, I have used brown bread slices.

2. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan. add 1 tsp mustard seeds and let them crackle and pop.

3. Then add ½ tsp cumin seeds.

4. Stir and saute till the cumin seeds also crackle and change their color.

5. Add ? cup chopped onion.

6. Stir.

7. On a low to medium flame, saute the onions till they turn translucent.

8. Add 1 green chili (finely chopped), 1 tsp finely chopped ginger and 6 to 7 curry leaves, chopped. stir and saute till the raw aroma of ginger goes away. About 10 to 12 seconds.

9. then add ½ cup finely chopped tomatoes. About 2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped.

 10. Add ¼ tsp turmeric powder, ¼ tsp red chili powder and a pinch of asafoetida (optional). For a more spicy taste in bread upma, you can increase the red chili powder to ½ tsp.

11. Mix very well.

12. Add salt.

13. Stir and saute this onion-tomato-spices mixture till the tomatoes soften and you see oil releasing from the sides.

14. The tomatoes have to be cooked well, otherwise you will feel the rawness in them. There should also be no liquids or moisture in the mixture and it should be slightly dry. Otherwise, the bread cubes become soggy.

15. Add the bread cubes.

16. Mix the bread well with the rest of the mixture.

17. On a low to medium flame, saute the bread cubes for 4 to 5 minutes till they become slightly crisp from the edges. this way there is some crispness in the bread cubes on the edges, along with a soft texture in the center of the cubes.

18. Then add 1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves (cilantro leaves). Instead of adding coriander leaves at this step, you can also garnish with them, while serving.

19. Mix & Serve