Bread Upkari / Bread Upma / Bread Poha - many names for the same deliciously comforting leftover bread recipe (though I love it enough to make it with fresh bread too). Works as a quick & easy, yet delicious breakfast for busy mornings or a comforting tea-time snack for cozy evenings. Pairs beautifully with a steaming hot cup of adrak chai!
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About the Recipe
Bread Upkari is what we call Bread Upma or Bread Poha in Konkani. Usually there is no hard and fast recipe for this kind of dish. You start with a basic tempering of your choice and cook chunks of leftover bread in your choice of seasoning.
Typically, this is a recipe for using up leftover bread. But I enjoy it enough to make it with fresh bread too. And over the years of making it, I have had a go-to recipe, which is simple enough to make, with the most basic of ingredients, yet always hits the spot. And that is the recipe I am sharing with you today, in the hope that you enjoy it as much as I do!
Ingredients You Need
Ingredient notes
- Bread - I love to use the white French or Italian bread, but you can use whichever kind of bread you prefer.
- Tempering - This is my go-to tempering for this dish, you can always change it up a bit based on your preference. I know some versions of this dish that have cumin seeds in the tempering, and some even have tomatoes. I have tried a few different variations, and feel that a basic tempering, along with just onions, and no tomatoes works best. But feel free to experiment.
Step by Step Recipe
- Lay out the bread from the packet (for reference: I am using 1 packet of bread, which is 14 oz), chop it into small rough cubes, and set aside.
Note: If you want to make more or less quantity than what I have shared, simply use the slider in the recipe card below to adjust the quantities based on your preference.
- In a pan, add 2 tablespoon oil, lightly heat it up, and to it add 1½ teaspoon black mustard seeds.
- When the mustard seeds start to flutter and pop, add 20 curry leaves (either whole or roughly chopped), and let it roast for a few seconds, before adding 2 green chillies (sliced), and let the chillies roast for a few seconds too.
- Now add 1½ cup of chopped onions, and 1 teaspoon salt, and saute till the onions sweat out, and become translucent (takes me about 8 minutes on medium flame). No need to brown the onions for this recipe.
- When the onions are roasted, add ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, and lightly roast it for a few seconds, before adding in the chopped bread cubes that were set aside earlier.
- Properly mix in the bread cubes with the tempering, and stir intermittently till the bread cubes get evenly flavored.
- Towards the end, when everything is almost blended together, add in 2 teaspoon of sugar, and mix it in. At this point, you can also adjust salt if required. I want to say sugar is totally optional here, but honestly I can't. I mean it tastes fine even without it, but the little bit of sugar does change the flavor profile for the better. So I'd say, try it both ways, and see what works for you.
- When everything is well blended, and the bread cubes have fully absorbed all the flavors (from the time the bread is added --> takes me about 5- 8 minutes on medium flame), the dish is ready!
Serving Suggestion
Bread Upkari works well as a breakfast or a snack. Pair it with a steaming hot cup of adrak chai, and enjoy!
Related Recipes to Try!
⭐️ Soft & Fluffy Rava Upma Recipe
⭐️ Indian Style Masala Omelette
⭐️ Non-Sticky Sabudana Khichdi Recipe
⭐️ Egg Bhurji (Spicy Indian Scrambled Eggs)
As always, I hope you found this recipe useful. If you did, please let me know your rating ⭐️ and feedback ? in the comments below, or simply rate the recipe right on the recipe card. I'd really appreciate it. ❤️
Bread Upkari Recipe (Bread Upma / Bread Poha)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 packet white bread (1 packet = 14 oz)
- 2 tablespoon oil
- 1½ teaspoon black mustard seeds (rai)
- 20 curry leaves (cadipatta)
- 2 green chillies sliced
- 1½ cup chopped onions
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi)
- 2 teaspoon sugar
Instructions
- Lay out the bread from the packet (1 packet = 14 ounce), chop it into small rough cubes, and set aside. I usually use the french bread from Walmart, but you can use any bread of your choice.
- In a pan, add 2 tablespoon oil, lightly heat it up, and to it add 1½ teaspoon black mustard seeds.
- When the mustard seeds start to flutter and pop, add 20 curry leaves (either whole or roughly chopped), and let it roast for a few seconds, before adding 2 green chillies (sliced), and let the chillies roast for a few seconds too.
- Now add 1½ cup of chopped onions, and 1 teaspoon salt, and saute till the onions sweat out, and become translucent (takes me about 8 minutes on medium flame). No need to brown the onions for this recipe.
- When the onions are roasted, add ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, and lightly roast it for a few seconds, before adding in the chopped bread cubes that were set aside earlier.
- Properly mix in the bread cubes with the tempering, and stir intermittently till the bread cubes get evenly flavored.
- Towards the end, when everything is almost blended together, add in 2 teaspoon of sugar, and mix it in. At this point, you can also adjust salt if required.
- When everything is well blended, and the bread cubes have fully absorbed all the flavors, the dish is ready.
- Serve bread upkari or bread upma as is, or pair it with a steaming hot cup of adrak chai!
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