Bunny chow

Name: Bunny chow
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 90 min
Total time: 110 min
Yield: 4 people
Cuisine: South African
Ingredients: 800 g Lamb, shoulder or neck, bone-in, cut into 4 cm pieces; 1 loaf White bread, unsliced, square, cut into quarters; 2 large Onion, finely chopped; 3 medium Tomato, grated or finely chopped; 2 medium Potato, peeled, quartered; 10 piece Curry leaves; 3 tbsp Curry powder, hot, Durban masala if you can get it; 1 tbsp Chilli powder; 0.5 tsp Turmeric; 2 tbsp Ginger garlic paste; 1 piece Cinnamon stick; 3 pod Cardamom, bruised; 2 piece Bay leaf; 4 tbsp Neutral oil; 1.5 tsp Salt; 400 ml Water; 1 handful Coriander, chopped; 2 medium Carrot, grated, with a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of chilli, for the salad

Durban's hollowed-out loaf filled with hot lamb curry — Indian South African street food eaten with your hands.

Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen.

Start cooking

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 1 hr 30 min
Rest: None
Total: 1 hr 50 min
Difficulty: Medium
Spice: Hot
Cost: A bit special$16–28 USD · indicative, not a store price

Know it before you cook it

About

A bunny chow is a quarter or half loaf of unsliced white bread with the middle pulled out and the hole filled with curry. The curry here is Durban-style lamb: meat on the bone braised with onion, tomato, curry leaves, a heavy dose of hot masala, whole spices and potato, until the gravy is thick and red with oil at the edges. The torn-out bread (the 'virgin') goes on top and is used to scoop. Grated carrot salad is the side. There is no cutlery involved, which is the whole point.

What you'll need

18 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.

0 of 18 ready

4 servings

Curry
To serve

Ingredients

Servings

Curry

Lamb, shoulder or neck, bone-in, cut into 4 cm pieces800 g
Onion, finely chopped2 large
Tomato, grated or finely chopped3 medium
Potato, peeled, quartered2 medium
Curry leaves10
Curry powder, hot, Durban masala if you can get it44 ml
Chilli powder15 ml
Turmeric2½ ml
Ginger garlic paste30 ml
Cinnamon stick1
Cardamom, bruised3 pod
Bay leaf2
Neutral oil59 ml
Salt7.4 ml
Water400 ml

To serve

White bread, unsliced, square, cut into quarters1 loaf
Coriander, chopped1 handful
Carrot, grated, with a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of chilli, for the salad2 medium

Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.

Steps

Step 1
Heat the oil in a heavy pot. Add the cinnamon, cardamom, bay and curry leaves and let them crackle for 30 seconds. Add the onion and fry until golden, 10 minutes.
12 min
Step 2
Stir in the ginger-garlic paste, curry powder, chilli powder and turmeric with a splash of water so the spices fry without burning, 2 minutes.
2 min
Watch: Burnt masala is bitter and cannot be fixed. Keep the heat moderate and the spoon moving.
Step 3
Add the lamb and turn it in the spice paste until coated and sealed, 5 minutes. Add the tomato and salt. Cook until the tomato breaks down and the oil shows at the edges, 10 minutes.
15 min
Step 4
Pour in the water, bring to a simmer, cover and cook gently for an hour. Add the potatoes and cook uncovered until they are tender and the gravy is thick, 25 minutes more.
85 min
Tip: The gravy should coat the meat, not pool. Boil it down at the end if it is loose.
Step 5
Pull the soft centre out of each bread quarter, leaving walls about 2 cm thick. Stand the quarters on plates.
5 min
Step 6
Fill each bread with curry, gravy and all, until it runs over slightly. Scatter coriander, perch the torn-out bread on top and serve with the carrot salad.
3 min

Nutrition

Per serving · estimate

Calories: 1571 kcal
Protein: 74.9 g
Carbs: 184.1 g
Fat: 56.9 g
Saturated fat: 19.7 g
Fibre: 11.2 g
Sugar: 9.2 g
Sodium: 1168 mg

Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.

Allergens

Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.

Wheat

Dairy-free
Nut-free

Adapt this recipe

The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.

Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 13 November.

Substitutions

Lamb → Mutton or goat
Mutton is more traditional in Durban. Give it 30 minutes longer.

Tips

Durban bunnies are hot. If you want it milder, halve the chilli powder but keep the full curry powder for flavour.
Day-old bread holds the gravy better than a fresh loaf.
For a bean bunny, replace the lamb with 800 g of cooked sugar beans or kidney beans and simmer 30 minutes instead of 90.

History & culture

A Durban institution, sold from takeaways in the Grey Street area and across KwaZulu-Natal, ordered as a quarter mutton, half beans, and so on. Bean bunny is the cheap vegetarian version. It is lunch for workers, late-night food after the clubs, and the dish Durban uses to explain itself to the rest of the country.

Created by Indian South Africans in Durban, probably in the 1940s, though the stories conflict: a takeaway for workers who could not sit down under segregation laws, or a way to carry curry to the golf course caddies. The name may come from banias, the merchant caste who ran the cafés.

Traditional — Durban cooks use a specific leaf masala from local spice shops. A good hot curry powder plus extra chilli powder gets close. Mutton (older sheep) is the Durban norm; lamb is what most shops outside South Africa sell.

Provenance: Editorial adaptation.

Questions about this recipe

Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.

How long does Bunny chow take?

1 hr 50 min all in — 20 min prep, 1 hr 30 min cook. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.

How many does it serve?

The recipe is written for 4 people. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.

How hard is it?

Medium.

How spicy is it?

Hot.

What allergens should I watch?

This recipe is labelled for Wheat. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.

Does it fit a diet?

The published recipe is labelled Dairy-free, Nut-free.

7 more questions

What does it cost to cook?

A bit special — about $16–28 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.

What equipment do I need?

Dutch oven, Chef's knife, Cutting board.

How much salt do I put in?

The recipe lists Salt at 1½ tsp.

What can I use instead?

Lamb → Mutton or goat. Mutton is more traditional in Durban. Give it 30 minutes longer.

What should I watch for?

Burnt masala is bitter and cannot be fixed. Keep the heat moderate and the spoon moving.

Any tips from this recipe?

Durban bunnies are hot. If you want it milder, halve the chilli powder but keep the full curry powder for flavour. Day-old bread holds the gravy better than a fresh loaf. For a bean bunny, replace the lamb with 800 g of cooked sugar beans or kidney beans and simmer 30 minutes instead of 90.

Can I use an air fryer?

This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.