Quick, tasty breakfast or snack with leftover bread – South Indian style Bread Upma recipe with step wise pictures. Serve this simple masala upma using bread with a cup of tea/coffee!
We are always scrambling for quick and easy recipes, right?! I would love to make some delicious snacks or breakfast recipes or quick dinner options that don’t take much time at all. This recipe for Bread Upma ticks all boxes for me. How many times are we left with 3-4 slices of bread, that won’t be enough to make a decent sandwich, sitting at the back of the fridge? I don’t know about you guys, but I am often left with few slices of bread. I feel lazy to make sandwich from scratch, but a butter jam toast might not exactly be healthy. So, turning those left-over pieces of bread into upma is a perfect option.
I often like to South Indianize many western dishes. Masala Macaroni is one such recipe. I like to add south Indian spices like curry leaves, mustard seeds, sambar powder and coriander leaves – making it so distant to its origins but delicious to any South Indian taste buds. In this recipe for bread upma, I only used onions and tomatoes, turned it into a semi gravy using turmeric powder, sambar powder and some garam masala. Of course, I used fresh curry leaves and coriander too. The crisp toasted pieces of bread soaking up in the masala, making it so flavorful. With a hot cup of coffee or tea, this is unbeatable!
How to make Bread Upma | South Indian Bread Upma –

Prep Time | 15 minutes |
Cook Time | 20 minutes |
Servings |
people
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- 4 Bread Slices White or Brown
- 1 Large Onion Sliced
- 2 Medium Tomatoes Chopped
- 1/2 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
- 1 tsp Sambar Powder
- 1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
- 1/4 tsp Garam Masala Powder
- 2 tsp Oil
- 1 tsp Urad Dal
- 1 tsp Chana Dal
- 1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
- 1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds
- 1/4 tsp Hing
- 1/2 tsp Sugar
- Salt as needed
- Fresh Curry Leaves
- Fresh Coriander Leaves
- Oil/Butter for toasting bread
Ingredients
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- In a thick bottomed pan, place bread sliced greased with oil or butter. Toast until crispy and golden on both sides.
- Once they cool down, cut into squares and set them aside.
- In the same pan, heat oil. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal, chana dal, hing As they turn golden brown and splutter, add fresh curry leaves.
- Next add sliced onions and fry until translucent.
- Now add ginger garlic paste and cook until the raw smell is gone.
- Add finely chopped tomatoes and cook until mushy.
- Add spice powders – sambar powder, garam masala powder, turmeric powder, sugar and salt as needed.
- Cook until oil separate from the sides.
- If the masala paste is too thick, add a few tbsp of water.
- Now add bread pieces. Mix it well until each piece is coated with the masala.
- Add finely chopped coriander leaves on top.
- Serve hot with a cup of coffee or tea!
Detailed step-wise picture recipe of making Bread Upma | South Indian Bread Upma –
1. In a thick bottomed pan, place bread sliced greased with oil or butter. Toast until crispy and golden on both sides.
2. Once they cool down, cut into squares and set them aside.
3. In the same pan, heat oil. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal, chana dal, hing As they turn golden brown and splutter, add fresh curry leaves.
4. Next add sliced onions and fry until translucent.
5. Now add ginger garlic paste and cook until the raw smell is gone.
6. Add finely chopped tomatoes and cook until mushy.
7. Add spice powders – sambar powder, garam masala powder, turmeric powder, sugar and salt as needed.
8. Cook until oil separate from the sides.
9. If the masala paste is too thick, add a few tbsp of water.
10. Now add bread pieces. Mix it well until each piece is coated with the masala.
11. Add finely chopped coriander leaves on top.
12. Serve hot with a cup of coffee or tea!
Note –
- Adjust spices as per preference.
- Instead of toasting the bread slices on a pan, the slices can be toasted in toaster too. For softer bread upma, skip the toasting step.
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