Seyal bread is a Sindhi breakfast born of frugality, made by tearing leftover roti or bread into pieces and simmering them in a spiced tomato-onion gravy. The name seyal comes from a Sindhi word meaning 'to cook in gravy', and the dish is essentially a way to use up old bread so nothing is wasted. The base is a quick curry of onion, tomato, garlic, turmeric, coriander and green chilies, cooked until thick, then the torn bread is stirred in and cooked for 2 to 3 minutes until it absorbs the gravy and softens into a moist, spiced mass. Eaten with yogurt and tea, seyal bread is everyday home food in Sindhi households, and it is one of the most resourceful dishes in the Sindhi repertoire.
Soft, moist, well-seasoned bread soaked through with a tangy tomato-onion gravy, the texture somewhere between bread pudding and a savoury porridge. Eaten warm with cold yogurt, each bite a mix of soft bread and sharp-spiced gravy.
The technique is a quick gravy into which bread is stirred. Onion is fried in oil until soft, garlic, turmeric, coriander and green chilies added, then chopped tomato. The mixture is cooked 10 minutes until thick and paste-like, with a splash of water to prevent sticking. Torn pieces of leftover bread (about 4 slices or 4 rotis) are stirred in and cooked for 2 to 3 minutes, the bread absorbing the gravy and softening. The dish should be moist but not soupy; the bread holds its shape enough to be eaten with a spoon. Garnished with fresh coriander.
Variations
Some add leftover rice instead of bread. A version with egg is richer.
On the Palate
Where Seyal Bread sits in the Pakistani flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4How it's made
5 steps · 10 min
- 15 min
Fry 1 chopped onion in 3 tbsp oil until soft; add 3 garlic cloves, 1 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp coriander, 2 green chilies.
- 26 min
Add 2 chopped tomatoes; cook 10 minutes until thick, adding a splash of water.
Watch outCook the onion-tomato base 10 minutes to a thick paste, splashing in water when it sticks — thin, watery gravy leaves the bread soggy instead of moist.
- 35 min
Tear 4 slices bread or 4 rotis into pieces; stir in.
- 44 min
Cook 2 to 3 minutes until the bread absorbs the gravy.
Watch outStir the torn bread in just 2 to 3 minutes so it drinks the gravy but keeps its shape — the dish should be moist, not soupy.
- 53 min
Garnish with coriander; serve warm with yogurt and tea.
