Another staple Amma’s recipe. This dish brings back memories of school, when Amma would make this piping hot for breakfast and I would love it so much that I would take the same dish for lunch! There are many ways to make this “upma” and most recipes I know have onion and/or tomato, but I prefer it without, the bread is a little more “crispier” and I absolutely love the mustard/urad dal combination and eat it plain after I’m done snacking on all the bread!
Ingredients:
Sourdough bread (1/2 loaf). (You can also use plain white bread that’s a couple of days old). I haven’t tried it with whole wheat bread or rye bread, which you could use for a little more nutritious boost.
Yoghurt – 1/4 cup
Chutney powder (also called dosai mulagai podi in Tamil) – 2 tsp, or to taste
Curry leaves – a sprig
Mustard seeds – 2 tsp
Urad dal – 2 tsp
Salt to taste
Dry red chilies – 3
Oil – 1 tbsp
1. Break the bread into small bite size pieces or cubes. Add the yoghurt mixed with the curry powder to the bread. Let the bread soak in the yoghurt mixture for a few minutes till it gets soft.
2. Heat the oil in a wok or skillet. Add the mustard seeds, urad dal.
3. After this crackles, add the curry leaves and dry red chilies.
4. Now add the bread to the hot oil and mix with the mustard seeds /urad dal tadka.
5. Heat on a low flame for about 5 minutes till the bread starts to look a little “fried”, while stirring occasionally.
6. Enjoy piping hot!
Did I mention that this is one of Nikhil’s (my son) favorites too? He has obviously imbibed my taste buds…Bread Upma is one of his lunch box staples and his Paatti (grandma) makes it for him at least once a week or once every two weeks! Like mom, like son!
