Discarding excess or leftover bread is a very sorry thing to do. No sooner you do the deed a strong twinge of guilt follows immediately. So I always look for ways and means of using the stale bread rather than throwing it. Research indicates that there are quite a few ways of utilizing stale bread, you could make bread crumbs, croutons, a sweet pudding… etc. But not wanting a sweet concoction and being seriously hungry lead me to conjure up this surprisingly yummy pudding.

Admittedly, the best thing about this recipe is, you use ingredients found in your refrigerator. Thus presenting a different meaning to the generally accepted idea of pudding, this little savoury number is superbly convenient, delicious and filling, it’s an ideal dinner for two.  

Ingredients

4-5 slices of bread (cut in to small squares)
1 portion of chicken breast (boneless)
2 cups of milk
2 eggs    
5 tbs of butter
2 (sandwich) cheese slices
10 spring onions
1 red bell pepper
50g of parsley
3 cloves of garlic
1 1/2 tbs of soy sauce
½ tbs of oyster sauce
½ lime
Cinnamon powder
Chilli flakes
Chilli powder
Salt
Pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven at 175 Celsius.

Prepare a square baking dish and set aside.

Wash and cut chicken in to very small pieces. Juice the lime over the chicken, add a teaspoon of cinnamon powder, chilli powder, salt, pepper and leave to marinade.

Pour the milk in to a heavy based pan, add 4 tablespoons of butter and let it melt over a low heat.

Once the butter has melted, take the pan off the heat and set aside.

Wash and chop finely the spring onions, garlic and set aside.

Melt a tablespoon of butter in a wok over a medium high heat, add chopped onions and garlic fry.

Once the onions have coloured, add the chicken, with a table spoon of chilli flakes, teaspoon of chilli powder and cook.

When the chicken starts browning, add the soy sauce, oyster sauce and mix. After the chicken has cooked take it off the heat and let it cool.

Whisk two eggs in heavy based bowl.

Whilst whisking pour in the milk-butter mixture in to the whisked eggs.

Add a teaspoon of salt, pepper to the mixture and place the bread cubes in this bowl.

Coarsely chop the parsley, bell pepper and add it to the bowl.

Next add the chicken to the mixture, stir gently and leave it aside for a few minutes.

Pour the mixture in to the baking dish.

Tear the cheese slices in to uneven squares and place it on top of the mixture.

Bake for 40 - 45 minutes.

Disasters, Warnings and Tips

When melting the butter in milk, DO NOT let the milk boil.

If you like you can use the zesty leaves of the spring onions as well.

For an awesome sweet bread pudding do refer http://life.dailymirror.lk/article/6576/chocolate-chip-bread-pudding.

I used Bell Pepper and Parsley. I’ve seen people using spinach and mushrooms and stuff. Try using some green peas!

Game of Thrones season finale… sad… I liked The Hound.

Serve this with some green olives.

Throw in some shredded cheddar in to the mixture (if you have extra that is).

My goodness! The price of cheese!? I think I’m going to purchase a cow and produce my own dairy products.

Another way of using stale bread is to make dumplings http://life.dailymirror.lk/article/7824/baguette-dumplings-anyone

Utilize spices according to personal taste.

By Shazzana Hamid