This bread upma comes together in less than 25 minutes and makes a great vegan option for breakfast or snack. I use sourdough bread in my recipe which pairs beautifully with all the spices, onions and tomatoes.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cook time: 10 minutes
  • Total time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 2
  • Category: Breakfast
  • Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

  • 4 sourdough bread slices (or use any bread of choice)
  • 1 tablespoon oil (I used avocado oil)
  • ¼ teaspoon (mustard seeds)
  • ½ cup chopped onions
  • 1 green chili (chopped, adjust to taste)
  • 5-6 curry leaves
  • ½ medium green pepper
  • 1 medium tomato
  • ½ teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 4 tablespoons water ([adjustable] 60 ml [/adjustable])
  • ½ teaspoon sugar (optional but recommended)
  • 1 tablespoon roasted peanuts
  • 1 tablespoon cilantro (chopped)

Method

  1. Toast 4 slices of sourdough bread lightly in a pan on medium heat. If using sourdough, you don't need to toast the bread much at all (see note 1). Then cut the bread into cubes and set aside.
  2. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a kadai or pan on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds and let them pop. Then add ½ cup chopped onions, 1 chopped green chili and 5 to 6 curry leaves. Cook for 2 minutes until the onions are a little soft.
  3. Then add chopped green pepper (½ of a medium size pepper) and cook 2 more minutes until the pepper is slightly soft. Add 1 chopped tomato, cover the kadai with a lid and cook for 2 minutes until the tomatoes are soft.
  4. Then add ½ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of turmeric powder and stir 30 seconds. Add around 4 tablespoons of water at this point and stir. Cook the masala for 1-2 minutes until it all comes together and masala looks "pasty".
  5. Add ½ teaspoon sugar and mix. Toss in the cubed sourdough bread and give a good stir so that all the bread cubes are coated with the masala.
  6. Remove the kadai from heat and add 1 tablespoon roasted peanuts and 1 tablespoons chopped cilantro. You can squeeze in some fresh lemon juice or top with some sev before serving. Serve hot!

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.