Bunny chow. No, it’s not snack food for rabbits. Nor are the cotton-tailed cuties an ingredient. In fact the popular South African street food has absolutely nothing to do with bunnies of the fluffy kind.
South African Bunny Chow is essentially a half a loaf of white bread with the inside scooped out, stuffed full of curry. It is a dish that first gained popularity in the Durban Indian community, before spreading right across the country, from Cape Town to The Kruger.
In Johannesburg, you’ll find a smaller version of the bread basket meal that uses a smaller chunk of bread filled with all manner of ingredients from hot chips to paloney, and referred to asakota (“quarter”).
While its exact origins are debated, some say that Bunny Chow originated originated in the sugar fields of KwaZulu-Natal when Indian workers with no time to make traditional Indian beads, instead used European style bread with their curries. It is then said to have gained popularity during apartheid, when laws prevented both Indian and black South Africans from dining in Durban’s restaurants, and enterprising merchants started serving the budget-friendly, conveniently self-contained meal from their back windows.
The dish is more often than not just referred to as a ‘bunny’, anunusual appellation said to come from the word Bania, the name of the Indian merchant caste who sold them.
While the original ‘bunny’ was a vegetarian curry, these days the still popular dish is also served with chicken, lamb, or mutton and comes in quarter, half, or full loaves, with a leftover chunk of bread plonked on top.
Generally eaten without cutlery, Bunny Chow was designed to be eaten on the go, the bread forming an edible bowl. Diners simply break off chunks of the bread to sop up the spicy fragrant curry within.
Needless to say when I reported back from my adventures in South Africa to my cutlery avoiding, curry loving son, he became fixated with shoving his face into one of them as soon as possible. And so he proceeded to nag me ten times daily until I came up with a Bunny Chow recipe at home.
It proved such a big hit with everyone that we’ve been enjoying it on high rotation at Casa Eats World ever since… something this cook isn’t complaining about. Washing up has never been so easy.
Here’s our South African Bunny Chow Recipe for you to enjoy at home.
Bunny Chow Recipe
November 14, 2016
byAleney de Winter
CategoryAfricaAfrican FoodRecipes
Ingredients
- 4 large chicken thigh fillets cut into pieces
- 2 unsliced loaves of white bread
- 1 large white onion, diced
- 1 400g can chopped tomatoes
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tsp. fresh grated ginger
- 2 tsp. garam masala
- 2 tsp. turmeric
- 1 tsp. ground coriander
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 2 dried cardamom pods
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 cups potatoes, cubed
- 1 cup diced carrot
- 1 cup chicken stock
- ½ cup fresh coriander
Instructions
- In a large pan, heat oil and fry onions on a medium heat until they soften.
- Add garlic and ginger and fry for one minute
- Add dry spices and fry for a further minute until fragrant.
- Add the tomatoes, chicken and stock to the saucepan.
- Stir and bring to a low simmer for about ten minutes
- Add the potatoes, carrots and cook for a further 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through.
- Cut loaves of bread in half and hollow out each half, reserving piece of bread form each
- Fill with cooked curry, sprinkle with fresh coriander and top with the leftover bread.
Tags
Cape Town,
Cooking,
cooking with kids,
food for kids,
kids in the kitchen,
South Africa,
world food
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https://boyeatsworld.com.au/bunny-chow-down/
An award-winning travel writer and photographer, Aleney de Winter was fresh from school when she first set off to explore the far reaches of Australia with a two-man tent and a beaten-up Kingswood for company. Three decades, and two kids later, and she's still on the go, with her itchy-footed offspring in tow. 15 Comments on South African Bunny Chow Recipe
That looks so good. I love how the curry is in bread too, because it’s always better with carbs!
Reply
BOYEATSWORLD
November 15, 2016 at 5:11 pm (7 years ago)
Everything tastes better with carbs! LOL
Reply
Bookmarking. Looks amazing!
ReplyBOYEATSWORLD
November 15, 2016 at 5:11 pm (7 years ago)
It’s not a pretty dish but it tastes amazing
Reply
YUM. Not gonna lie – when I saw the headline, I thought I was either making rabbit food, or eating rabbit. #teamIBOT
ReplyThis looks so good! I can see it going down a treat with the “cutlery avoider” in this home, as well!
ReplyOh yes, yes, yes, I absolutely love this! How delicious it looks !
ReplyI’ve never heard of this before but what a great idea! The food as a bowl reminds me of those dips where you pull off a piece of the cob to dip! It just works!
ReplyOh wow that looks gooooood! I need the drool button!! Haha!! Definitely be saving this recipe, thank you x
ReplyCarbs and curry – two of my favourite things! This looks so good. It takes our humble cob loaf to a whole new level!
ReplyLIz
July 27, 2017 at 3:22 am (7 years ago)
Yum!! I’m going to use part of your recipe if you dont mind. I got South Africa as my “country” in an ingredient challenge for my Masterclass. the challenge is to create a recipe using the ingredients or food that is specific to that country. My research led me to Boerswor the sausage and Bunny Chow, honestly the latter because of the name. Adapting this recipe to Western norms, I envision my Bunny Chow to be more of a Boerswor Bunny Chili!! I want to make the meat for the sausage into small meatballs rather than the traditional coil, and serve it up with the curry, sans the chicken and add some greek yoghurt to make it a bit more saucy.My vessel, aka the bread will be bread baked in a soup can so it can stand up right, and then after baking hollowed out and filled with the delicious Bunny Chow Chili a dollop of yoghurt on top with a plastic fork….and perhaps a slaw on the side of red and green cabbage in a mayo dressing with curry.
ReplyBOYEATSWORLD
July 27, 2017 at 6:11 am (7 years ago)
SOunds fab! I love a good Boerewos sausage and it will make for an interesting curry
ReplyBoitumelo Thekisoe
January 12, 2018 at 9:04 am (6 years ago)
*Boerewors
Brad
December 25, 2017 at 8:59 am (6 years ago)
As a South African from Durban I have to say your comment about the bunny chow origin having anything to do with Apartheid is not true. Indians in Durban invented it as street food and it was served only from Indian owned cafes. The best was Johnnies chip in ranch near Overport that had almost cult status in the 80s. It spread across South Africa in more recent times.
ReplyPonda52
November 17, 2018 at 7:38 pm (5 years ago)
The original environmentally friendly take away. Only made in Durban and traditionally made with mutton. Nothing to do with apartheid at all. A really yummy meal. Always has plenty of oil to be really authentic!
Reply
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ABOUT US
Hey, I’m Aleney! A mum, award-winning travel writer, magazine editor and gallivanting glutton. He’s Raff, the “boy” in boyeatsworld, and a fearless foodie, adventurer and eco-warrior. Along with his all-singing, all-dancing, all-adventurous sister, Sugarpuff, we’re exploring the world’s colour, culture and cuisine on a food safari for the junior set.
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