L for Leftovers Lottery – Paavacha bhuja

Every home has their favourite way to jazz up leftovers and this is one of my favourite thing to do with stale bread.

Bread upma or phodnichi bread is quite a common brunch option across India. This one is slightly different because it uses cloves and cinnamon for flavouring instead of the more common chillies-curry leaves- cumin combination.

Mum used to make this in a cast iron pan. The bread would stick to the bottom and turn crispy and golden. My sister and I would look forward to these scrapings, possibly, more than the bhuja itself.

I have used an anodised pan and did manage to get some crumbs but if you do have a cast iron beauty, I would definitely encourage you to use it for this one.

It is a quick fix and it took me all of 20 minutes from plan to plate. It lasted about half that time on the table. 🙂

Do give it a go and I’d love to know how it fared at your home.

Paavacha Bhuja made from stale bread

Ingredients:

8-10  slices of bread, cubed

1 tablespoon each, oil and ghee

1 large onion, chopped not too fine

3-4 cloves

1 inch stick of cinnamon

salt to taste

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon paprika or chilli powder

1/2 teaspoon PP sambhar masala (or a tiny pinch of garam masala)

1 tablespoon chopped coriander to garnish

Method:

1. Sprinkle the cubed bread with a little water or milk. Keep aside.
2. Heat the pan. Add the oil and ghee.
3. Add the cloves and cinnamon. When you can smell the aroma of these spices, add the onion and fry till golden brown.
4. Now add the salt, tumeric, chilli powder and PP sambhar (or the garam masala). Mix them with the onions and sprinkle a little water.
5. Now add the bread and toss until it is coated with the onion and spices mix. Turn up the heat for 2-3 minutes.
6. Take the bhuja off the heat and garnish with some coriander.
7. Serve piping hot.