Bunny Chow

Bunny Chow
Today I’m heading back to Durban, South Africa for one of my absolute favourites, Mutton Curry Bunny Chow. This is beloved street food from the vibrant city of Durban, South Africa, is a testament to the region's rich cultural diversity. This iconic dish traces its origins to the Indian community in Durban during the apartheid era, emerging as a practical yet flavorful solution for laborers needing a portable meal. The name "bunny chow" is thought to derive from the term "bania," referring to an Indian merchant caste, combined with "chow," a slang term for food.
At its heart, bunny chow is a delightful combination of two main components: a hollowed-out loaf of white bread and a hearty, aromatic curry. The bread serves as an edible bowl, filled to the brim with a spicy curry made from ingredients such as mutton, chicken, lamb, beans, or vegetables, infused with traditional Indian spices like cumin, coriander, turmeric, and garam masala. The scooped-out bread, known as the "crumb," is typically served alongside the dish, perfect for dipping into the rich, flavorful curry. It’s a slow cook recipe all in one pan. The meat needs time to release its goodness into the gravy, infusing that beautiful deep umami flavour into the delicious masala sauce.
Bunny chow is more than just a meal; it's a cultural experience that reflects the blending of Indian and South African culinary traditions. Whether enjoyed on the bustling streets of Durban or in the comfort of your home, this dish offers a unique and satisfying taste of South African heritage.
Thanks to Niraj Chag
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#howtomakebunnychow #bunnychowrecipe #traditionalbunnychow #muttonbunnychow
#durbanfood #durbancuisine #durbanmuttoncurry #durbancurry #muttondurbancurry #muttoncurry #durban #slowcook #durbanchickencurry
#slowfood #braisedmutton #onepanmeal #slowcookerrecipes
How to make Durban Mutton Curry Bunny Chow:
For the bread
I’m going with the traditional box tin white loaf but feel free to choose your own!
To make the bowl, slice it in half, then cut around the edge and scoop out the middle (“the crumb”) - be sure to keep these bits, they’re great for sharing and dipping in when it’s done! I like to fry these off in a little chilli oil and make some amazing spicy croutons to add on top.
Set the bread aside for now and move on to prepping the curry. You can go with either our Durban Mutton Curry
( • HOW TO MAKE DURBAN MUT... )
or our Durban Chicken Curry or with a vegetable or bean curry. This will be poured into the bowl you’ve just made!
For the Durban Mutton Curry
2 tbs vegetable oil
1 cinnamon quill
2 star anise
2 cloves
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 large onion, sliced
Salt
2 tbs ginger & garlic paste
1kg mutton (lamb) on the bone, diced
2 stems of curry leaves
2 tbs masala mix ( 2 tsp, cumin powder, 2 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp turmeric powder, 3tsp chilli powder, 1 tsp paprika, ½ tsp cardamom powder)
200ml water
300g blended tomatoes/passata
2 large potatoes, peeled and cut into large cubes
Coriander leaves to garnish
To Make Durban Mutton Curry
STEP 1
Using a large lidded frying pan/skillet heat the oil over a medium heat and pop in the cinnamon, star anise, cloves, fennel seeds and cook to scent the oil for approximately 30 seconds.
STEP 2
Now add the onions and cook until deeply brown, usually 6- 8 minutes and drop in a pinch of salt.
STEP 3
Pop in the mutton, sear until brown all over and lock in the flavour for around 8-10minutes. Then add the ‘masala mix’ and mix thoroughly and cook until all the meat, onions and spices coat each other, cook for 3-4 minutes until the meat juices start to soften the masala powder and forms a little paste. Then add the curry leaves, cover and simmer on a medium to low heat for 30 minutes.
STEP 4
Add 200ml water, along with the blended tomatoes and drop in the potatoes. Cover and cook for another 30-45 minutes, periodically checking to see if the meat is tender and coming away from the bone, taste and season where required. If it’s still a little tough, cover and cook for another 15 -20 minutes. It’ll take around 2 hours for the mutton to be really tender.
STEP 5
The mutton curry should now be ready to devour. Carefully spoon the curry into the bread bowl and top with chilli croutons don’t worry about being too neat, it’s meant to be street food!
Timings for Durban Mutton Curry Bunny Chow:
00:00 Introducing the box tin white loaf
00:10 Cut loaf in half
00:20 Carefully remove the inner core of the bread
00:30 Prepare the curry
00:48 History of Bunny Chow
01:35 Check on the mutton curry
01:55 Cut the bread you’ve removed into chunks
02:05 Pour chilli oil into a frying pan
02:33 Once the oil is hot, fry off the chunks of bread until golden brown
03:03 Start assembling. Spoon the curry into the hollowed out bread bowl
03:30 Add the croutons on top of the curry
03:35 Add in more curry until it overflows!

[@Theepictoaster69]

Best CZcamsr

[@urbanrajah]

That is so kind. Thank you that means so much to us.

[@kumarishomecookingandvlogs8341]

Super

[@urbanrajah]

I’m so pleased you enjoyed it. What else would you like me to cook?

[@oncemorekitchen8082]

Very Welldone dear ❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@urbanrajah]

Thanks so much and I’m thrilled you’re enjoying our videos.

[@ReahTimul]

Sorry to say that our Durban bunny chow is not prepared like that the curry we make has lots of gravy n lovely big potatoes n rich in colour nice n yum with no croutons 😮 n a little extra oil 😊

[@urbanrajah]

Thanks for watching and for taking the time to comment. The croutons were just a little remix! We do have potatoes and gravy in there though!

[@ReahTimul]

Totally different but tnx for sharing

[@user-hn9jk3xq1r]

Sorry Rajah but a Durban bunny chow is not made like yours

[@urbanrajah]

Thanks so much for watching, how do yours?