Bread Upkari Recipe (Bread Upma / Bread Poha)

A bowl of bread upkari, with a spoon in it, served along with a small jar of Indian achar and a crunchy snack on the side.

Bread Upkari Recipe (Bread Upma / Bread Poha)

Bread Upkari (also known as Bread Upma or Bread Poha) is a Konkani recipe that is made by tossing pieces of bread in a simple South Indian style tempering. Great for a quick breakfast or tea time snack!

Course Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine Indian, Konkani

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 15

Total Time 20

Servings

Calories 1507kcal

Author Shantala Shenoy Nayak

Equipment

12" hexclad stir fry wok

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!

Video

Notes

Quick note on using sugar --> I want to say sugar is totally optional in this recipe, but to be very honest, 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.

Please note: The nutrition values are best estimates provided as a courtesy. The exact values can vary depending on the exact ingredients or brands used. If you rely on them for your specific diet and/or health issues, please consult a registered dietician or nutritionist.

Nutrition