Bread Upma with Vegetables | Easy Tiffin Recipe

Bread Upma, a delicious and easy to make tiffin item with the leftover bread slices. It's one of my favorite ways to use the leftover bread. I usually make this as an evening tiffin along with some tea. Trust me, this combo is awesome and tastes heavenly. You can make this as breakfast or as dinner too.

Though i call this recipe as Bread Upma, it tastes more like Veg Kothu Parotta. So if you like kothu parotta and want an easy fix or Indian flavored bread recipes then i'm sure that this recipe is for you! Do give it a try and let me know how you like it.

Bread 

You can use any type of savoury bread for this upma. I have used the good old white sandwich bread for today's recipe. But in the past i used whole wheat and other types of breads also and it tasted equally good. 

Vegetables

Personally i like to use capsicum/bell pepper for this upma. Bread and capsicum really go together well. The capsicum flavor truly elevates the taste of this upma. So i highly recommend to use the capsicum.

In addition to the capsicum, i usually add the some carrots and peas. Here in the recipe, i have used frozen peas. If you're using dried peas, make sure to soak and cook till it's soft before adding into this upma.

Ok, Now let's check out how to make this delicious bread upma. 

Bread Upma with Vegetables

Preparation Time : 5 mins | Cooking Time : 15 mins | Serves : 2 
Recipe Category: Tiffin | Recipe Cuisine: Indian
Bread Upma, Bread Upma with vegetables, Kothu Bread Bread Upma, a delicious and easy to make tiffin item with the leftover bread slices.

Sandhiya https://www.facebook.com/SandhiyasCookbook https://www.instagram.com/sandhiyascookbook/

Ingredients

Bread Slices - 4

Onion(small) - 1

Tomato(small) - 1

Carrot (small) - 1

Capsicum - 1/2 cup(chopped)

Frozen Peas - 1/4 cup

Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp

Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp

Salt - to taste

Oil - 2 tsp

Coriander leaves - a few

Procedure

First cut the onion into thin slices, carrot, capsicum and tomato into small pieces. Heat the pan with oil, and add the sliced onions.

Once the onions are translucent, add the ginger garlic paste and saute till it's aromatic then add the carrot, capsicum, peas and  tomatoes. 

Saute the veggies in the oil for about a min and then add the spices(turmeric, red chili and garam masala powder) and salt. Give a quick mix and then cover the pan with the lid and cook the veggies. No need to add any water, the water from the tomatoes is enough to cook the veggies.

In the mean time, cut the bread into small pieces. Once the veggies are cooked, open the lid, add the bread pieces, mix it well so that the masala coats the bread pieces well. Finally add the chopped coriander leaves and then switch off the flame. 

Delicious Bread upma is ready. Serve it with onion raita and some lemon wedges. 

Related: How to make Semiya Upma

Notes:

• Tastes good as it is but serving with onion raita elevates the taste to another level.

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White Bread, the good old fashioned bread made without any preservatives. This is my go-to white bread recipe that yields such a soft bread. It tastes so much better than any store bought bread. 

I have been baking whole wheat bread for years at home. But i never tried my hands on this classic white bread until a year ago. Ever since i had started baking this white bread at home, it's become our family favourite. My kid loves this bread so much and eats as it is without anything on it.

If you're looking for an easy yet fool-proof recipe for white bread, then look no further, here it is ! Do give it a try and i'm sure that you love how incredible it is.

All purpose flour

First thing first, to make  bread you need the flour. Here for this recipe, i'm using the unbleached all purpose flour. 

I have tried this bread with a couple of brands of all purpose flour including the Walmart brand and i didn't find any noticeable difference in the taste and texture of the bread.  So go ahead and use whatever you have  in your home. 

Yeast

Next, to make the bread, you need the yeast. I switched to instant yeast a long time ago for all my baking that needs the yeast because it's so easy to use and you don't need to worry about proofing the yeast.

If you're a beginner in baking, i highly recommend to use the instant yeast over the dry yeast. So far i never experienced the proofing failure in using the instant yeast. 

Tips for beginners 

1. Don't tightly pack the measuring cups with the flour. Spoon the flour into the measuring cup while measuring the flour. Too much flour makes the bread so dense.
2. Depends on the quality of the flour, you may need 1 to 1& 1/4 cups of water. Start with 1 cup and if needed add more. 
3. Kneading the dough is highly important to make soft bread. For kneading the dough, you can use either the dough machine or simply your hands. In this recipe, i have used my hands for kneading and it still yields perfect bread loaf. So don't worry if you don't have a dough kneading machine, still you can make this bread without any compromise in taste and texture :-)
4. Make sure to mix the sugar in the flour before adding the yeast in the flour. Sugar helps to grow the yeast and makes the dough proof. Instead of sugar, you can also use honey.
5. Make sure to use the lukewarm water to make the dough. It helps to activate the yeast fast.

That's it ! Now let's check how to make this incredibly delicious white bread.

White Bread | White Sandwich Bread

Preparation Time : 2 hrs | Cooking Time : 40 mins | Serves : 2 
Recipe Category: Bread | Recipe Cuisine: English
White Bread, White Sandwich Bread White Bread, the good old fashioned bread made without any preservatives.

Sandhiya https://www.facebook.com/SandhiyasCookbook https://www.instagram.com/sandhiyascookbook/

Ingredients

All purpose flour - 3 cups

Sugar - 1 tbsp

Salt - 1 tsp

Instant yeast - 2 tsp

Water - 1 to 1&1/4 cups

Melted Butter - 2 tbsp + 1 tsp

Procedure

In a large bowl, measure and add the flour(don't press the flour while measuring ), next add the sugar and salt. Mix it well with the flour.

Then add the yeast, mix it well with the flour and make a well in the center of the flour.

Add the water(make sure that the water is lukewarm) and butter(2 tbsp). 

Mix it all together with the spatula. Once it all comes together as a single mass, transfer the dough into the counter top.

Start kneading the dough with the kneel of your palm , fold and then knead. Repeat the same for about 10 mins. After 10 mins, you can able to stretch the dough thinly without tearing and see through it. It's called window pane test and the dough should pass it or else knead little more.

Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and then apply a little bit of melted butter on top of the dough.  Cover the bowl with a lid and set it aside in a warm place for about 50 mins to 1 hr.

After 1 hr, the dough should be doubled. Punch the dough to release the air and then transfer the dough on to the counter top. Roll the dough into a rectangle(8*12 approx) with a rolling pin.

Next start rolling the dough from one side to the other and then pinch the edges so that it sticks together.

Place the dough in a loaf pan and keep it aside for another 30-40 mins. In the meantime, preheat the oven @350 F.

Once the dough is proofed again into double. Apply a little bit of butter on the top and bake it in the preheated oven for 35-40 mins. After 40 mins, take the loaf pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack. 

Once the bread is cooled  down a bit. Cut into slice and enjoy a warm slice of  bread with bread. Yep! That's my way of treating myself for making the homemade bread :-)

Related:How to make Whole Wheat Bread

Notes:

• It stays well for 2-3 days at room temperature.
• You can also freeze this bread. It freezes well and tastes fresh once thawed.

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Mango Burfi with Almond flour | Mango Barfi

Mango Burfi , a delicious Indian sweet made from the mango pulp and almond flour as main ingredients. It's such an easy  recipe to make in minutes with wonderful texture and taste. 

Last year during summer, i experiment with making the mango burfi using almond flour and it turned out absolutely delicious after a few initial attempts. Ever since i have been making this mango burfi multiple times on various occasions and it never fails to impress anyone.

So if you're looking for some unique yet yummy burfi, then give a try on this delicious mango burfi.

Almond Flour 

In the market, if you're looking for 'grounded almond', you can find almond flour and almond meal. This recipe requires almond flour not the almond meal. Almond flour is basically made from the blanched almonds .So make sure to get the almond flour which has more fine texture compared to almond meal.

Also, in some places, almond meal is made with whole skinned almonds, so the color of the almond meal would be little darker compared to almond flour.

Mango Pulp

For this recipe, you can use the canned mango pulp as well the freshly made mango pulp from the mangoes.

I have used the canned sweetened mango pulp for this recipe. You can use any canned mango pulp for this recipe. So far, i have used verka and deep brand of  kesar mango pulp for this burfi.

If you're using homemade mango pulp. Make sure that the mangoes are well ripen, non-fibrous variety and sweet. To make the mango pulp at home, remove the skin and seed from the mangoes and put it in the blender and blend it well and strain it once before use.

Also remember, i have mentioned the amount of sugar needed for this recipe in the ingredients list is for using the canned sweetened mango pulp. So if you're using unsweetened and/or home made mango pulp, you definitely need more sugar. Give a taste check while cooking and adjust according to your taste. 

Sugar

As i had  mentioned already that this recipe calls for sweetened mango pulp, it doesn't need much additional sugar. Just an extra 1/4 cup of sugar is enough for this recipe. For a very mild sweetness, just 3 tbsp of sugar is enough. 

I have tried with both 3 tbsp of sugar and 1/4 cup of sugar. For me, 1/4 cup of sugar is perfect for this burfi and using 3 tbsp of sugar has very mild sweetness. So use as per your family preference.

Milk Powder

Adding milk powder  to this recipe is a personal preference. You can make this burfi with almond flour only and still it tastes amazing too. Trust me, i have made it that way many times. 

But adding a little bit of milk powder truly elevates the burfi to the next level. It gives that dairy richness to the sweet just like how adding khoya to a burfi makes a difference.

 Other flavorings 

I don't want the other flavorings overpower the mango flavor in this recipe. So i keep it to a minimum when it comes to cardamom powder and saffron. 

Also i used pistachios for garnishing the burfi since the green compliments yellow :-). You can use any other nuts as per your liking or leave as it is too.

Do give this mango burfi a try and let me know how you like it. Now let's see how to make this delicious mango burfi.

Mango Burfi with Almond flour

Preparation Time : 5 mins | Cooking Time : 15 mins | Serves : 8 
Recipe Category: Sweet | Recipe Cuisine: Indian
Mango Burfi, Mango Burfi with Almond flour, Mango Barfi Mango Burfi , a delicious Indian sweet made from the mango pulp and almond flour as main ingredients.

Sandhiya https://www.facebook.com/SandhiyasCookbook https://www.instagram.com/sandhiyascookbook/

Ingredients

Mango Pulp - 1 cup

Almond Flour - 1 & 1/2 cup

Milk Powder - 1/2 cup*

Sugar - 1/4 cup

Ghee - 3 tbsp 

Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp

Pistachio(chopped) - 2 tbsp(optional)

Saffron - a few strands(optional) 

*1/2 cup of milk powder is replaced by 1/2 cup of almond flour.

Procedure

In a large heavy bottomed pan, add the mango pulp and sugar. Mix it together and put it on the medium flame.

Measure the almond flour & milk powder and keep it aside. Once the mango pulp starts to bubble, keep the flame on low and cook the mango pulp for about 3-4 mins and make sure that the sugar is completely melted.

Then add the almond flour and milk powder. Mix it well. Then start adding the ghee little by little.

Once the whole mixture starts to roll with the ladle and the ghee slightly starts to ooze out(don't look for a lot of ghee oozing out, it don't, just looks like a shining grease on the bottom), add the cardamom powder, mix it well and switch off the heat. The last pic in the below collage shows the real color of the barfi in the natural light when it's done.

Immediately pour the mixture into the ghee greased tray/plate, smooth it out on the top and then sprinkle the pistachios on the top along with saffron(if using) and press it gently with the spoon/spatula. Let it cool completely and then cut into desired shape.

Super delicious mango barfi is ready to serve.

Related: How to make Badam Halwa using almond flour

Notes:

• Store the remaining barfi in a air-tight container and keep it in the refrigerator.
• It stays well for up to 7 days in a refrigerator.

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Prawn Thokku, a delicious and flavorful masala made from the prawn and the exotic Indian spices. It tastes great as a side dish for rice and rasam combo. It's so easy to make with just a handful of ingredients  and the taste is simply awesome. 

Though i eat prawns regularly at restaurants, making them at home has never been a thing until a year ago. I thought cleaning prawns would take a lot of time so never attempted to cook at home. 

Now that my little one likes prawns a lot, i jumped in to cook the prawns at home because you know that the prawns available at Indian restaurants here are mostly too spicy or/and oily. Hence i prefer to give him home cooked prawns.

Like me, if you're new to cook the prawns at home, i highly recommend you  give this recipe a try . It's such a beginner friendly recipe and i guess no one can mess up this recipe. For the past few months, this prawn thokku has been a regular in our weekend lunch menu. 

As i said earlier, i usually make prawns for my little one so the spices are very mild but you can adjust the spices as per your liking. Here are some key points to make yummy prawn thokku

• Make sure to use coconut oil for this thokku, it gives a wonderful flavor and taste to the thokku.
• Adding a lot of onions and sauteing them well add more taste to the thokku so be generous with the onions.
• Make sure to cook the masala till you can see the oil around the edges before adding the prawns.
•  Once you add the prawn, don't cook for a long time, it will make the prawn rubbery.

For those who live in Canada, currently i'm buying the prawns from the T&T store and i prefer the shelled prawns over the unshelled prawns and i do the un-shelling and deveining the prawns at home. 

It's a little bit tricky to get the knack of cleaning the prawns quickly. I had tried a few methods of cleaning prawns and found the fork method is quite easy and have been following it for a couple of months now. You can google it on how to do it. 

Ok, now let's check out how to make this delicious prawn thokku.

Prawn Thokku | Spicy Prawn Masala

Preparation Time : 10 mins | Cooking Time : 15 mins | Serves : 2 
Recipe Category: Curry | Recipe Cuisine: Indian
Prawn thokku, Spicy prawn masala, Indian prawn masala Prawn Thokku, a delicious and flavorful masala made from the prawn and the exotic Indian spices. It tastes great as a side dish for rice and rasam combo.

Sandhiya https://www.facebook.com/SandhiyasCookbook https://www.instagram.com/sandhiyascookbook/

Ingredients

Prawn (unshelled & deveined ) - 250 gms

Onion (medium size ) - 1

Tomato( medium size )  - 2

Coconut oil - 1 tbsp

Cumin Seed - 1/2 tsp

Fennel Seed - 1/2 tsp

Ginger garlic paste - 1 & 1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Red chili powder - 3/4 tsp

Coriander powder - 2 tsp

Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp

Salt - to taste

Coriander leaves - a few

Procedure

First clean the prawn twice or thrice in the water. Before the final wash, add a little bit of turmeric powder in the prawn, mix well and then wash & keep it aside.

Heat a thick bottomed pan with coconut oil, add the cumin seed and the fennel seed, let them splutter.

Then add the finely chopped onions and saute till they are translucent.

Next add the ginger garlic paste and saute till it's aromatic and then add the finely chopped tomatoes, all spices(turmeric, red chili and coriander powder) and salt.

Give it a good mix and then cover the pan with lid cook till the tomatoes are mushy. 

Next add the prawns and mix it with the masala and cover the pan with lid and cook the prawn for 8-10 mins or until it's done. 

Finally add the pepper powder and the finely chopped coriander leaves. Give a good mix and then switch off the flame.

Delicious Prawn Thokku is ready.

Related: How to make South Indian Style Salmon Fish Curry 

Notes:

• If you have curry leaves, add a spring while sauteing the onions,  it gives a nice aroma.
• Coconut oil gives a great flavor to the thokku, so i  highly recommend to use it.

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