This delicious traditional Sindhi dish is a perfect way to use up your extra bread!
Ok guys, I’m bringing it back to my Sindhi roots with this dish! After all, someone has to keep these traditions going! Growing up, I remember my mom making this for me for breakfast or lunch and at the time I never really appreciated it, but ever since I got married and moved out, I’ve been missing these Sindhi delicacies. So, I worked with my mom to get the exact measurements and share a little piece of my household with you guys! This dish is the perfect amount of spicy and so flavorful, you’ll actually be surprised with the taste. It’s made with a mixture of bread, onions, tomato sauce, and a bunch of spices and I promise you’ll love it if you give it a try!
This dish does take a bit of time and TLC to make it perfectly, but I promise you, it’s totally worth it. Most Sindhi households would know what this is, so ask your Sindhi friends for confirmation, I’m sure they’ll agree with me! And just for reference, Dabroti means bread, hence, the main ingredient in this dish, bread! Typically, it is best to make this with white bread, or a thicker bread such as brioche or bread rolls, etc, however, you can use any other bread if you don’t have these, but the taste may slightly differ. Also, surprisingly, this works best with bread that is about to expire, or stale bread, so this is a great way to use up that bread you thought you would have to throw out! No waste here guys!
The key to making this dish perfectly is patience and really making sure you brown your onions well. You also need to be at the stove watching this dish because there is a lot of constant stirring involved. You also need to give it time for all the flavors of each spice to mix together with the onion tomato mixture. Feel free to adjust the green chili and red chili powder spice based on your preferred spice levels.
Here are a few key tips to getting this dish right:
- Don’t be shy, use the full chopped up onion, it’s what will give this dish its flavor
- At the very end of the cooking process, you will need to put a tawa under your pot to finish the cooking process
- Enjoy with a side of papad or top with sev for a little added crunch
This dish means a lot to me and as I continue on this cooking journey, I hope to share more of these delicious Sindhi delicacies with you! I hope you guys will give this a try and enjoy it as much as I do! As always, happy eating! Let’s keep our hearts happy and our bellies full!
Seyal Dabroti
Ingredients
- 7 slices bread ripped in small pieces
- 3 1/2 tbsp oil
- 3-4 curry leaves
- 1 onion chopped
- 1-2 green chili chopped
- 1 inch ginger grated
- 1 1/2 tsp garlic minced
- 1/2 tsp haldi (turmeric)
- 1 1/2 tsp coriander powder
- 1 1/2 tsp cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp red chili powder
- 1/8 tsp amchur powder (dry mango powder)
- salt to taste
- 3/4 cup tomato sauce
- 1/4 cup fresh coriander + some for garnish chopped
- 3 3/4 cup water
Instructions
- Add 3 1/2 tbsp oil to a heavy bottom pot on medium heat. Once oil is hot add the curry leaves and let splutter for 30 seconds or so and add in the chopped onions
- Start to cook the onions down until they turn translucent and then add in the green chili, ginger, and garlic. Cook down the onions until they turn brown (not burn) for about 10-15 minutes
- Once the onions have browned, turn the heat to low and add in the haldi, coriander powder, cumin powder, red chili powder, salt, amchur powder and mix thoroughly until the spices are mixed well with the onions and cooked together
- Then add in the tomato paste and increase the heat to medium and stir the mixture constantly for about 5-7 minutes or until the oil starts to leave the sides of the pot
- At this point you can add in 1/4 cup fresh chopped coriander and mix thoroughly on high heat for about 3 minutes
- Add in 1 1/4 cup of water and taste the mixture to see if you need to adjust the spices, continue to mix on high heat for about 5 minutes. Then add another 1/2 cup of water and cover and cook for 3-4 minutes on medium heat
- You will see the mixture has slightly reduced; add in 2 cups of water and increase the heat and let it come to a boil. While it's boiling, add in a little more cilantro
- Once it has come to a boil, slowly add in your ripped pieces of bread in 2-3 batches and mix. You may need to adjust the amount of bread based on how watery or dry the mixture is
- After all the bread has been added, put a tawa or flat pan under your pot and cover and cook on low heat for about 7 minutes
- Then turn off the heat and let it sit for about 5 more minutes. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot!
Notes
- Enjoy Seyal Dabroti with a side of papad or sprinkle some sev on top
- This works best with white bread, bread rolls, brioche, or any thick bread, however, any bread will work if you don’t have any of the above
- This also works best with bread that is about to expire or stale bread; it’s a great way to use up the bread you thought you had to throw out
