Bread Upma (with sourdough bread)
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.
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Easy to make, this Bread Upma recipe uses sourdough bread for that perfect balance of flavors and comes together in less than 25 minutes. A quick snack or breakfast which is perfect for school lunchboxes, and is also vegan friendly. You can keep it simple or load it up with vegetables.
I still remember the first time I had bread upma, it was from my friend’s lunchbox in school. My mom made the traditional rava upma at home, but she had never made upma with bread, so it was a totally new dish for me. Once I tasted it at school, I immediately requested my mom to make it for me. Those were the days of recipes not being readily available on the internet, so my mom had to call my friend’s mom to learn the recipe!
Over the years, I have developed my own version of bread upma and this one made with sourdough bread just happens to be my favorite. Sourdough bread has a natural tanginess to it which works beautifully with all the spices, onions and tomatoes in the recipe. Indians mostly prefer savory flavorful breakfast options and if you also fall in the same camp, then this easy bread upma recipe is a must try.
Compared to the traditional upma made with rava/sooji, this is easier to put together, you literally need only 20 mins to make this bread upma. This also makes a great snack to enjoy with a cup of chai especially when you are starving. There have been many days when I made this bread upma at 5 pm to curb those evening hunger pangs!
Tips To Make A Really Good Bread Upma!
- If possible, use sourdough bread. First it adds tartness to the dish which works well with the onions, tomatoes and spices. Then it also holds its shape and doesn’t become soggy when mixed in with the masala. This is one problem you might face when using regular brown or white bread that it becomes soggy and honestly I don’t like a soggy bread upma.
- Add a little bit of sugar to balance out all the tartness from the tomatoes and the sourdough.
- Don’t forget to add some crunch, it can be in the form of roasted cashews or peanuts.
- If using brown bread, make sure to toast it first else it will become soggy when added to the upma. If using sourdough, you can skip the toasting part although I still toast mine slightly.
- Don’t add too much water to the masala else the bread will become very soft. The amount of water that’s mentioned in the recipe worked perfectly for me.
Let’s make a quick bread upma!
- Take sourdough bread slices and toast them a little in a pan on medium heat until slightly toasted. If you use brown bread, toast the slices until they turn golden brown in color. With sourdough this step is optional, and you don’t need to toast it a lot. Then cut the bread slices into cubes and set aside.
- Heat a kadai/pan on medium heat. Once hot, add oil and then add the mustard seeds and let them pop. Once the seeds pop, add the chopped onions, along with the chopped green chili and curry leaves. Cook for 2 minutes until the onions soften. Then add the chopped green pepper and cook for another 2 minutes or so until they soften a little.
- Then add the chopped tomato, stir and then cover the kadai with a lid and cook another 2 minutes until the tomatoes soften a bit. Add the salt, turmeric powder and stir 30 seconds. Then add around 4 tablespoons of water and stir.
- Let it all cook for 1 minute until the mixture comes together. Add sugar (optional but recommended) and stir. Now, add the bread cubes and stir.
- Mix until all the bread is coated well with the masala. Top with roasted peanuts and chopped cilantro. You can also squeeze in some fresh lemon juice if you like. Serve hot.
Manali’s Tips
- Bread choice: sourdough bread works best in my opinion for this recipe however you can also use any white bread or brown/multigrain bread. Please toast your bread first in order to avoid soggy upma especially when using brown bread. I have used regular wheat sourdough here but you can use any other sourdough as well.
- Vegetables: I have used only tomatoes, onions and peppers here, but you can add carrots, green peas as well in this recipe.
- Seasoning: as far as seasoning goes, you can add red chili powder or more green chilies for a spicier bread upma. You can even add ginger in your tadka or even chana and urad dal.
- Top it off with some sev or aloo bhujiya for extra flavor and crunch!
Bread Upma (with sourdough bread)
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 60 ml
- ½ teaspoon sugar optional but recommended
- 1 tablespoon roasted peanuts
- 1 tablespoon cilantro chopped
Instructions
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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".
- 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.
- 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!
Notes
- You can get away without toasting the bread if using sourdough since it holds its shape pretty well even when mixed with all the masala. But lightly toasting it doesn’t hurt. If using brown bread, I do recommend toasting it nicely and only then using in the recipe to avoid it getting too soggy in the upma. I recommend toasting regular white bread as well.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi Manali, can this be made without onion? Should I substitute it with something or simply skip it?
you can skip
Hello Ma`am,
Thank you for the tasty recipe… I have a small request from my end.. Could you please add the serving size for your nutritional value. This would help me to easily log my calories based on the serving I take.
the nutritional info is for 1 serving. You have to see the number of servings mentioned in the recipe card, this is calculated automatically by a plugin. I enter the number of servings the recipe will serve and the plugin divides the total calories by that. This is only an estimate and not 100% accurate. Please consult a nutritionist if you want to get exact calories.