A bunny chow is a South African fast food dish consisting of a hollowed out loaf of bread filled with curry. It comes from the Durban Indian community and although the precise origins of the dish is disputed, but of the renditions we've heard, this one is the best...
An Indian restaurant owner explained that during Apartheid, Indian restaurants that served white people could not allow people of colour to enter the restaurant. So those patrons who wanted a meal would be sent to the back of the shop. with that said they couldn't eat on the same plates or use the same utensils as the whie patrons, so a alternative way of serving patrons of colour had to be developed. And so came the bunny chow - a plate substituted by bread and utensils by one's hands.
The bunny chow comes in quarter, half and full loaves and is also referred to as a kota or sephatlo in many South African townships.
CHICKEN BUNNY CHOW (KOTA/SEPHATLO) RECIPE
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 3 centimetres of fresh ginger, chopped
- 1 medium chilli, chopped (opitional)
- 1 star anise
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4 cardamom pods
- 500 grams chicken breast
- 3 tbsp curry paste
- 1 tbsp garam masala
- 8 curry leaves
- 2 tsp sugar
- 2 cups water
- 2 medium carrots, peeled & sliced
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 pinch salt & milled pepper
- 1 can butterbeans, drained
Directions
- Heat a tbsp of oil in a large pan and fry onions until soft.
- Add garlic, ginger, chilli, star anise, cinnamon, cardamom and fry for another minute.
- Add chicken and fry until well browned
- Add remaining ingredients, except butter beans. Simmer for 1 hour adding more water if needed.
- Add butter beans and cook for a further 20-30 minutes
- Make a hollow in each quarter chunk of bread by removing some of the soft dough.
- Fill each hollow with plenty of curry.