Bread Upma (Indian style)

Bread Upma is my favourite breakfast. And it is also a simple dish to do within 10 minutes. And we can eat dis as a evening snacks at the rainy days. And here we can see how to do dis with the ingredients which is already there in every homes of India....

INGREDIENTS :

• 3 cups chopped bread cubes or 5 to 6 bread slices, chopped in cubes
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp mustard seeds/rai
• ½ tsp cumin seeds/jeera
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped or ⅓ cup finely chopped onions
• 1 green chili/hari mirch, finely chopped
• ¾ to 1 inch ginger/adrak, finely chopped or 1 tsp finely chopped ginger
• 6 to 7 curry leaves/kadi patta, chopped
• 2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped or ½ cup finely chopped tomatoes
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder/haldi
• ¼ tsp red chili powder/lal mirch powder
• a pinch of asafoetida/hing (optional)
• 1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves/dhania patta
• salt as required

METHOD:

1. chop the bread slices in cubes. keep aside.
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. stir and saute till the cumin seeds also crackle and change their color.
4. add ⅓ cup chopped onion. stir. on a low to medium flame, saute the onions till they turn translucent.
5. 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.
6. then add ½ cup finely chopped tomatoes. about 2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped.
7. add ¼ tsp turmeric powder, ¼ tsp red chili powder and a pinch of asafoetida (optional). for a more spicy taste, you can increase the red chili powder to ½ tsp.
8. mix very well. add salt.
9. stir and saute this onion-tomato-spices mixture till the tomatoes soften and you see oil releasing from the sides. 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.
10. add the bread cubes. mix the bread well with the rest of the mixture.
11. 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.
12. then add 1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves. you can also garnish with the coriander leaves, instead of adding at this step.
13. mix and serve bread upma hot as a breakfast or as a quick snack.