For those who have been on my food tour and want to recreate some of the goodness you tasted for your friends back home, or to anyone wanting to cook up a South African classic, this is one of the easiest and most delicious recipes.
The Bunny Chow
Created in Durban in the 1940's, this is South Africa's version of Indian street food. Whether you serve it in yesterdays newspaper as was traditionally done or zhuzh things up a bit with fancy bread buns and plating, its a crowd pleaser.
A bunny is essentially a hollowed out half loaf of bread, filled with delicious curry. The bread that was scooped out is then used to dip into the curry and replaces the need for cutlery. The curry filling could be Lamb Mutton, Beef, chicken or vegetables.
My favourite is lamb...
INGREDIENTS
1 kg lamb pieces
A little oil for frying
2 cinnamon sticks
1 tsp fennel seeds
6 green cardamoms
1 bay leaf
4 cloves
A sprig of curry leaves
1 tsp crushed green chillies
1 large onion, finely diced
2 tblsp crushed ginger and garlic mix
½ tsp turmeric
2 tsp sugar
1 tblsp vinegar
3 tsp chilli powder
2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp garam masala
2 chopped tomatoes
5 medium potatoes, quartered
fresh coriander
salt and pepper to season
INSTRUCTIONS
Heat oil in pot.
Mix in the cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, bay leaf and fennel
Add curry leaves, onion, chillies, ginger, garlic and turmeric
Simmer for a few minutes
Add garam masala and dried spices, then mix in the vinegar and sugar
Add the meat and season
Coat the meat with mixture
Braise on medium heat until meat has browned
Add potatoes
Add water as needed to prevent burning. Add tomatoes when potatoes are partially cooked
Add chopped fresh coriander as garnish
Now to assemble the bunny
Take a half loaf of bread, scoop out some of the inner and replace with some of the lamb curry. Place the scooped out bread on top. Serve with chips, salad and mango achar
Wine pairing: pair this with a fruity South African Chenin Blanc or off dry Riesling and if you prefer red then try a Pinotage or local Grenache.
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