Bunny Chow

Bunny Chow (Durban Mutton Curry in a Hollowed Loaf)

A hollowed-out half-loaf of white bread stuffed with a fragrant Durban-style mutton curry, eaten with the hands using the torn bread as an edible scoop. Born in the Indian community of Durban, this is the original South African street-food classic.

Prep

25 min

Cook

120 min

Total

145 min

Serves

4 to 6 (makes one large loaf or 2 smaller loaves)

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •1 kg (2.2 lb) mutton shoulder or leg, bone-in, cut into roughly 4 cm / 1½ in pieces with bone
• •45 ml (3 Tbsp) vegetable oil
• •2 large onions, finely chopped, about 300 g / 10½ oz
• •4 cloves garlic, crushed
• •1 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated
• •2 Tbsp madras-style curry powder, hot or mild to taste; a South African-style masala works best
• •1 tsp turmeric
• •1 tsp ground cumin
• •1 tsp ground coriander
• •0.5 tsp (½ tsp) cayenne or chilli powder, adjust to taste
• •2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
• •2 medium ripe tomatoes, chopped, about 250 g / 9 oz, or 1 × 400 g / 14 oz can chopped tomatoes
• •15 ml (1 Tbsp) tomato paste
• •1 Tbsp white vinegar
• •1 tsp sugar
• •2 bay leaves bay leaves
• •500 ml (2 cups) hot water or mutton/lamb stock, plus extra if needed
• •2 potatoes potatoes, peeled and quartered, optional but traditional; about 250 g / 9 oz
• •1 large loaf unsliced white sandwich bread, a soft, dense white loaf; the top is cut off and the inside crumb scooped out. Substitute with a large Italian-style white if South African bread unavailable.
• •1 small bunch fresh coriander (cilantro), chopped, to garnish

Steps

1. 1 Heat the oil in a heavy pot or pressure cooker over medium heat. Add the chopped onions and cook slowly for 8 to 10 minutes until deep golden brown — this colour is the flavour base of the curry.
2. 2 Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
3. 3 Add the curry powder, turmeric, cumin, coriander, cayenne and salt. Stir into the onions and toast the spices for 30 seconds to 1 minute, keeping the heat moderate so they don't burn.
4. 4 Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, vinegar, sugar and bay leaves. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes until the tomatoes break down and the mixture thickens into a dark masala paste.
5. 5 Add the mutton pieces and stir well to coat in the masala. Brown the meat lightly for 5 minutes.
6. 6 Pour in the hot water or stock, add the potatoes if using, and bring to a simmer.
7. 7 Cover and simmer gently for 1½ to 2 hours (or 35 to 45 minutes in a pressure cooker) until the mutton is very tender and the gravy is thick and oily at the edges. If the sauce reduces too quickly, splash in a little more hot water. The finished gravy should be thick enough to pile into the bread without running out — aim for the consistency of a thick stew.
8. 8 Taste and adjust salt and chilli. Skim excess fat if desired. The curry should be well seasoned because the bread absorbs flavour.
9. 9 While the curry finishes, prepare the bread: cut the whole loaf in half horizontally (for a 'half bunny') or cut it into quarters. Slice the top crust off each piece to form a lid. Using your hands or a spoon, hollow out the soft crumb from the centre, leaving a thick bread 'shell' with about 1.5 cm / ½ in of wall. Reserve the scooped crumb on the side.
10. 10 Spoon the hot mutton curry into the hollowed bread, mounding it generously and letting some gravy soak into the inner walls. Place the reserved crust 'lid' alongside.
11. 11 Serve immediately on a sheet of paper or a plate, garnished with fresh coriander. Eat with the hands by tearing pieces of the reserved bread crumb and the bread wall to scoop up the curry. SAFETY: ensure the mutton has reached an internal temperature of at least 80 °C / 175 °F and is fork-tender; the potatoes, if used, must be fully soft through.