India and its bond with
South Africa
dates back to the colonial era and the influence of this strong association can be seen in their culture and culinary preferences. An interesting example of this brilliant amalgamation of Indian and South African flavours is a popular delight known as
Bunny
Chow, which has created a niche in the global culinary map, but its link to India is not known to the world.
Read on to find out about
Bunny Chow
and its connection with India
Defining the Indian roots
Bunny Chow is undeniably an interesting
culinary creation
with its roots from an
Indian community
residing and working in South Africa known as the
Durban
community. During the colonial era, Indian laborers, who were brought to South Africa to work on sugar cane plantations and in other industries created this dish out of necessity. This dish was a melange of spicy curry stuffed inside a fluffy loaf in the form of a lunch box, this dish was a convenient and inexpensive meal option for these workers.
In fact, during the Apartheid era, these workers faced discrimination and limited access to eateries and restaurants, so they created a way to carry their lunches in loaves of bread after making a deep cavity to fill in their spicy thick curries, which could be easily carried and eaten with hands.
Over the years, Bunny Chow has become a popular street treat from the busy bylanes of South Africa and is one of the oldest culinary fusion of Indian as well as South African flavours. Well, here’s a simple recipe of Bunny Chow curated by Birjesh Kumar Executive Chef Le Meridien Gurgaon, which you too can make at home and enjoy with your loved ones. So, follow us through this easy recipe and enjoy!
How to make Bunny Chow and its Durban Curry recipe
Ingredients
1 loaf bread, white, unsliced, flat-topped
1 star anise
1 cinnamon stick
3 whole cardamom pods
1⁄2 teaspoon fennel seed
1⁄2 teaspoon cumin seed
1⁄2 cup oil
1 onion, chopped
More Ingredients
3 tablespoons garam masala
1 teaspoon ground coriander (seeds)
1 teaspoon hot ground pepper (like cayenne)
2 teaspoons turmeric
2 tomatoes, medium, chopped
2 lbs leg of lamb cubes
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 bay leaves
2 potatoes in cubes
cilantro (optional)
Step 1
To begin with this easy recipe, wash and chop the veggies. Then
add oil to a pan and toss all the whole spice until the onion is transparent.
Step 2
Now, add in fine spices and powders and stir until the spices stick to the bottom of the pot. Now add the tomatoes, and stir until everything sticking to the pot bottom comes loose.
Step 3
Add the meat, ginger, garlic and curry leaves. Simmer for half an hour or more, until the meat is almost tender, then add a little water and the potato cubes.
Step 4
Simmer until the meat is tender.
Step 5
For the main dish, the bread should be an unsliced rectangular loaf with the flat top, known in South Africa as a “Government sandwich loaf”. You can cut the bread into two, three or four even chunks.
Step 6
Whatever you decide, with a sharp knife cut out most of the soft white bread, leaving a thick wall and bottom. Keep the bread you removed.
Step 7
Take a ladle full of the curry and add it to the hollows, and then put back on top the bread you removed. You could use this bread to help eat the curry, as “this is ALWAYS eaten with the hands”.