Roti Upma aka Fried Bread Curry - don't worry, it's really good!

I have just eaten A Very Interesting Thing which was also quick, cheap and used leftovers but I doubt very much that it was healthy. - fried bread curry!

Upma is a actually a South Indian porridgy dish usually made with semolina but also with lots of other things that will mush down such as rice or bread.  I don't like porridgy things so have never tried it and so didn't feel I could rightfully include the bread version in my bread section of Creative Ways to Use Up Leftovers (see below ***). 

Recently however I have noticed a few Upma recipes using dried or fried bread which retains quite a bit of crispness so decided to give it a go. 

Roti Upma 

A somewhat inauthentic recipe because I didn't have all the right ingredients! ~ serves 1

   

2 separate ½ tbsp vegetable oil or ghee
1-2 slices bread - stale is good - diced or torn into pieces

(for me a small slice of sourdough and ½ an old roll I found in the freezer!)

¼ tsp mustard seeds

1 hot red chilli chopped

(I keep a bag in the freezer, they are easily chopped from frozen)

½ onion finely chopped

¼ inch ginger finely chopped

1 pinch turmeric

(I am ashamed to say I had no fresh ginger or turmeric so replaced these with a ¼ tsp curry paste which worked very well)

5 or so cherry tomatoes, quartered

a handful of cashew nuts

fresh coriander, chopped plus a sprig or two to garnish

~   Heat ½ tbsp oil in a frying pan then fry the bread in it till turning crisp and golden. Set aside.

~   Add the second ½ tbsp oil to the pan and then the mustard seeds and wait till they start popping.

~   Stir in the onion (and the ginger if you've got some) and cook till starting to go translucent then add the chilli and the tomatoes.

~   When the tomatoes start to mush down stir in the turmeric and/or curry paste and cook together a minute or so.

~   Taste and season then stir in the bread, cashews and chopped coriander. 

I stopped at this point because I don't like pappy meals but you could cook the mixture down a bit and maybe add a little hot water to achieve a more porridge-like consistency.  As I say, it was great and next time I feel I have been eating too healthily I intend to balance things up by making it again! 

***  In this book I give all the information, ideas, recipes, handy hints, cook’s treats, storage info, ideas of what goes with what that I can think of for over 450 possible leftovers including at least 16 ways to use up leftover bread.

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