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    Home » Recipes » South African recipes

    Bunny Chow - an authentic South African curry

    Published: Jun 6, 2019 · Modified: May 30, 2024 by VJ · This post may contain affiliate links · 9 Comments

    Jump to recipe

    Bunny chow is an authentic South African street food, made with spicy beef, chicken, or lamb curry, served in half a loaf of hollowed-out bread. The inside part of the bread is used for mopping up all the delicious gravy.  

    A hollowed-out loaf of bread on a plate, filled with beef curry.

    Contrary to what the name suggests, no rabbits were harmed in the making of this recipe 🙂

    Jump to:
    • What is a bunny chow
    • How do you eat a bunny chow?
    • What you will need
    • How to make a bunny chow
    • Can I freeze a Bunny Chow?
    • Can I make this without meat?
    • What can I do with leftovers?
    • Pin for later
    • Related recipes
    • 📋The recipe

    What is a bunny chow

    If you've never tasted a Bunny Chow before, then you are in for a treat.  This is a deliciously spicy beef curry served in a hollowed-out loaf of bread.  The gravy soaks into the bread making it unbelievably tasty.  There is a saying that half a loaf is better than no bread - well, I've just updated it to be half a loaf filled with this delicious curry is better than anything.

    There may look to be a lot of spices in this recipe, but they all work together to form a wonderfully aromatic curry. The heat comes from the chillies, so you can adjust this according to your own preference.

    It may also seem as though there is too much gravy, but you will find you need a lot of gravy to soak into the bread.

    The flavour of the curry improves on standing. I made the full recipe (it serves 4 people) for myself and hubby, and served the remainder of the curry with a bowl of rice the following night. If anything, it was even more delicious.

    A Bunny Chow has nothing to do with rabbits

    Contrary to what you might imply from the name, there are no rabbits in a bunny chow.  The name actually originated from the Durban Indian population, known as 'Banya'.   Chow is of course just another name for food.  So Banya Chow became Bunny Chow.

    The Indian population of Durban were mainly farm workers working in the sugarcane fields. As there were no shops near the sugarcane fields, they had to take their lunch with them to work. So the dish itself probably evolved out of the necessity to carry a sloppy curry to work for lunch, without a container.  A hollowed-out loaf of bread served the purpose very well.

    Bunny Chow has now become a favourite South African street food available at most corner cafes. In addition to beef, this curry can also be made with lamb, chicken, or even goat.

    A hollowed-out loaf of bread on a plate, next to a glass of beer.

    I would thoroughly recommend accompanying your bunny chow with a glass of ice-cold beer and use the inside of the bread to dip into the delicious gravy.

    How do you eat a bunny chow?

    A bunny chow is not the easiest meal to eat with a knife and fork. The traditional way to eat it is to first dunk the inner part of the bread into the sauce. Then you gradually break off bits of the bread bowl (working from the top down) and dip those into the curry, scooping up pieces of meat or vegetables onto the piece of bread.

    I prefer to use a fork (especially if I serve the dish with accompanying peas and salad), and also keep a plentiful supply of serviettes handy to wipe messy fingers!

    You will probably find that half a loaf of bread is far too much for one person to eat, so what I tend to do is to cut a small farmhouse-type loaf into three pieces and use the ends for the bunny chow. The middle piece of the loaf, along with the inside that gets removed from the ends can be turned into breadcrumbs and frozen for use in another recipe. This way, there is no waste and the portion is far more manageable.

    And of course, if you don't want to make a traditional bunny chow, you could serve the curry over rice with a dollop of mango chutney on top!

    So without further ado, let's get on with the recipe.

    What you will need

    Equipment

    You will need a small mixing bowl to coat the meat with flour.

    You will also need either a saute pan or a saucepan (with lids) for cooking the curry.

    And finally, you will need a sharp knife and a chopping board to cut up the vegetables and slice the bread.

    Ingredients

    **You can get the full list of ingredients and instructions for making this bunny chow recipe on the printable recipe card at the end of this post**

    This recipe easily feed 4 people.

    Ingredients for South African bunny chow.
    • Farmhouse loaf - this is a crusty unsliced loaf of bread and you will need half a loaf for one person. You should be able to buy small loaves in the bakery section of your supermarket which are the ideal size. A full-sized loaf will be too large.
    • Beef - this is good quality stewing beef, such as topside or chuck. You can buy it ready cubed, or get a whole piece and cube it yourself. I sometimes find that the ready pieces of ready-cubed beef can be too large and should be cut into smaller pieces. Try to cut the beef into 1-inch cubes.
    • Flour - for coating the beef before it is seared in the frying pan.
    • Sunflower oil - for searing the beef.
    • Salt and sugar for seasoning.
    • Worcestershire sauce - for extra flavour.
    • Garlic - use finely minced fresh garlic cloves or use ready-crushed garlic from a jar.
    • Mango chutney - or any other fruity chutney. If you don't have a fruity chutney you could substitute with apricot jam and a tablespoon of vinegar.
    • Beef stock (not pictured). You can make it with a stock cube if you don't have fresh stock.

    Vegetables

    These are my suggestions for vegetables - you will need around 1 and a half cups of diced vegetables per person, but you don't have to be too precise. Cut the tomatoes into fine dice so that they break down into the gravy. The carrots and onions should be cut into approximately half-inch pieces and the potatoes into 1" cubes.

    • Potatoes - cut into one-inch pieces
    • Onions - cut into half-inch pieces
    • Tomatoes - depending on the season the tomatoes may not have sufficient flavour. You can add a tablespoon of tomato puree to the gravy to compensate
    • Carrots - cut into half-inch pieces

    If you prefer you could also add a finely chopped red pepper (capsicum).

    Because the curry is served in hollowed-out bread we need to keep the pieces of vegetables quite small so that they fit nicely into the bread.

    Spices

    I like to mix my own spices because that way I can control the amount of chilli. You could use 2 to 3 tablespoons of ready-mixed curry powder instead. Whether you use mild, medium or hot curry powder depends on how hot you like your curry.

    • Garam masala
    • Yellow mustard seeds
    • Fennel seeds
    • Turmeric
    • Ground coriander
    • Ground cumin
    • Ground ginger
    • Dried chilli flakes

    You should measure all the spices out onto a plate to make it easy to tip them into the pan when they are needed.

    How to make a bunny chow

    Make the curry

    Beef cubes coated in flour in a glass mixing bowl.

    Coat the beef in flour which has been seasoned with salt.

    Cubes of beef being browned in a frying pan.

    Heat the oil in a frying pan, and add the meat, a few pieces at a time, until you have a single layer of meat. Fry the meat, stirring continuously until it has browned on all sides.

    Transfer the meat to a plate and set it aside.

    When frying the meat, don't overcrowd the pan. If you add too much meat to the pan at once it will lower the temperature and the meat will draw moisture and boil rather than brown. Rather fry the meat in batches if it doesn't all fit in the pan in one layer.

    Chopped onions being cooked in a frying pan.

    Add the chopped onions to the pan and stirfry them on a low heat until they start to soften, then add the crushed garlic and stirfry for one minute longer.

    Spices added to chopped onions in a frying pan.

    Tip in the spices and stir well to coat the onions completely. Keep the heat turned down to low so the spices do not burn.

    Tomatoes frying with onions and spices in a frying pan.

    Add the tomatoes and continue to stir until they soften (about 3 minutes).

    Stock added to the tomatoes and onions in a frying pan.

    Pour in the stock, stir in the Worcestershire sauce, chutney, and tomato paste (if using) and then add the browned meat.

    Cover the pan with a lid and simmer for 30 minutes.

    Beef curry simmering in a frying pan.

    After 30 minutes, add the potatoes and carrots, cover it with a lid, and leave it to simmer for 1 and a half hours.

    Top up with extra stock if it starts to dry out.

    Cooked beef curry in a frying pan.

    The meat and vegetables should be tender and the gravy should have thickened.

    Taste for seasoning and add salt to taste if necessary.

    If the gravy is not thick enough, mix a tablespoon of flour with 3 tablespoons of cold water to form a smooth paste and stir it into the gravy. Leave to simmer for another 2 minutes to give the flour time to cook and then spoon the curry into the prepared bread cases and serve.

    Prepare the bread

    A small farmhouse loaf of bread cut in half.

    If your loaf is very small, cut it in half, otherwise, cut it into three pieces. Keep the middle piece for turning into breadcrumbs.

    Two halves of a loaf of bread with the centre pieces being removed.

    Run a sharp knife down the inside of each edge, forming a square in the loaf. Be careful not to cut through the bottom of the bread.

    Using your fingers, carefully pull the middle section out.

    You can toast the bread in the oven if you would like it to be more crispy, or leave it soft.  The choice is yours.

    Keep the removed bread for dipping in the gravy when you eat the bunny chow.

    You can also turn any unused bread into breadcrumbs by blitzing it in the food processor. Freeze the crumbs in a ziploc bag for later use.

    A bunny chow on a brown pate with bowls of side dishes in the background.

    To serve

    Fill the prepared bread cases with curry and serve. I like to add peas and a fresh green salad.

    If you prefer you could make a quick sambal by mixing 2 chopped tomatoes and 1 finely chopped onion with 2 tablespoons white vinegar, 1 teaspoon sugar and ½ teaspoon salt. Let this stand for half an hour before serving to give the flavours time to develop.

    If you'd like to be notified of new recipes, why not subscribe to my newsletter? To say thank you, you will receive a free recipe e-book containing some of my most popular cakes and desserts.

    Can I freeze a Bunny Chow?

    You can freeze the cooked curry, but don't freeze it in the breadcases - make those fresh when you need them.  

    You can keep the curry for up to three months in a suitable container in the freezer.

    To use, allow it to defrost for a few hours in the fridge, or defrost it in the microwave.

    Heat in a saucepan on the stove until piping hot.

    Can I make this without meat?

    You can swap out the meat for chickpeas, butterbeans or kidney beans and reduce the cooking time accordingly.

    What can I do with leftovers?

    There is so much you can do with leftover beef curry.

    • Turn it into delicious toasted sandwiches. Chop up any large lumps of meat and potatoes, spoon the curry between 2 slices of buttered bread and pop it into a snackwich maker or panini press.
    • Make curried dough balls - you can make instant vetkoek using a simple 2-ingredient dough.
    • Serve any leftover curry on a bed of rice for a quick and easy supper.

    Pin for later

    Why not pin this bunny chow recipe to one of your Pinterest boards so you can find it easily? Just click the image below.

    Alternatively, you can save the recipe by clicking on the floating heart icon on the right-hand side of the screen.

    Related recipes

    You can find these and other curry recipes on my curry recipes page:

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    • Overhead shot of lamb curry in a balti dish.
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    And if you are looking for easy ways to cook rice to serve alongside your curry, you'll find step-by-step instructions in these posts:

    • How to cook rice in the microwave
    • How to cook rice in the oven
    • How to make pilau rice

    📋The recipe

    A hollowed-out loaf of bread on a plate, filled with beef curry.

    Bunny Chow

    Bunny chow is an authentic South African street food, made from spicy beef, chicken, or lamb curry, served in half a loaf of hollowed-out bread. The inside part of the bread is used for mopping up all the delicious gravy.  
    Recipe by: Veronica
    Main Course
    South African
    Calories 631
    Prep 15 minutes minutes
    Cook 2 hours hours 15 minutes minutes
    Total Time 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4 people
    Print Pin Comment Bookmark Saved!
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    4.93 from 13 votes

    (Click the stars to rate this recipe)

    Equipment

    • Small mixing bowl
    • Saute pan or
    • Large saucepan
    • Sharp Knife
    • Chopping Board

    Ingredients

    For the curry

    • 2 smallish loaves of unsliced bread
    • 1½ pounds (680g) stewing beef chuck or topside (cubed)
    • 3 tablespoons sunflower oil for searing the beef
    • 2 tablespoons flour for coating the beef
    • 2 cups beef stock you can make it with stock cube
    • 4 cloves garlic finely minced
    • 2 tablespoons tomato puree or tomato paste optional
    • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
    • 2 tablespoons mango chutney
    • 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
    • 1 teaspoon sugar optional

    Vegetables

    • 3 to 4 medium potatoes (cut into 1-inch cubes) approximately 2 cups
    • 2 medium onions (cut into ½-inch dice) approximately 1½ cups
    • 3 medium tomatoes (cut into small dice) approximately 1 cup
    • 2 medium carrots (cut into ½-inch dice) approximately 1 cup

    Spices

    • 1 teaspoon garam masala
    • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
    • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
    • 1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
    • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
    • 1 teaspoon turmeric
    • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
    • 1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes or to taste

    Instructions

    • Cut the meat into 1-inch cubes, pat it dry with a sheet of paper towel and coat it in a mixture of flour and salt.
      1½ pounds (680g) stewing beef, 2 tablespoons flour, 1 teaspoon salt
    • Peel and dice the vegetables and crush the garlic.
      4 cloves garlic, 3 to 4 medium potatoes (cut into 1-inch cubes), 2 medium onions (cut into ½-inch dice), 3 medium tomatoes (cut into small dice), 2 medium carrots (cut into ½-inch dice)
    • Cut the bread loaves in half and carefully remove the inside. Try to leave a casing about ½ thick all around.
      2 smallish loaves of unsliced bread
    • Heat the oil in a saute pan and sear the cubed beef. You may have to do this in batches. Once the beef has browned, transfer it to a plate and set it aside.
      3 tablespoons sunflower oil
    • Add the onion and garlic to the same pan and stir-fry gently until the onion is translucent. You may need another tablespoon of oil.
    • Add the spices to the onions and stir well to coat the onions with the spices. Keep the heat on low so the spices do not burn.
      1 teaspoon garam masala, 1 teaspoon ground coriander, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, 1 teaspoon turmeric, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, 1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
    • Add the tomatoes and continue to fry for about 3 minutes until the tomatoes start to soften.
    • Pour in the stock, Worcestershire sauce, chutney, sugar and tomato paste, then add the browned meat. Cover the pan with a lid and simmer for 30 minutes.
      2 cups beef stock, 2 tablespoons tomato puree or tomato paste, 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, 2 tablespoons mango chutney, 1 teaspoon sugar
    • After 30 minutes, add the potatoes and carrots, cover it with a lid, and leave it to simmer for 1 and a half hours.
      Top up with extra stock if it starts to dry out.
    • Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. If you need more sweetness add a little more mango chutney.
    • To thicken the gravy, mix 1 tablespoon of flour with 3 tablespoons of cold water to make a smooth paste and stir it into the gravy. Leave to simmer for another 2 minutes to give the flour time to cook.
    • Serve in the hollowed bread, with the centre of the bread on one side for mopping up any juices.

    Make the bread cases

    • If your loaf is very small, cut it in half, otherwise, cut it into three pieces. Keep the middle piece for turning into breadcrumbs.
    • Run a sharp knife down the inside of each edge, forming a square in the loaf. Be careful not to cut through the bottom of the bread.
      Using your fingers, carefully pull the middle section out.
    • You can toast the bread in the oven if you would like it to be more crispy, or leave it soft. 

    Notes

    To remove the centre of the loaf, run a sharp knife down the inside of each edge, forming a square in the loaf.  Try to keep about half an inch away from each edge.  Now gently insert your fingers down one side and pull the bread away from the bottom.  Keep the removed bread for dipping in the sauce as you eat the bunny chow.
    I like to put my hollowed-out bread into a hot oven for a few minutes to toast it slightly before adding the curry.  Other people prefer not to do this, and to leave it soft.  It's up to you.
    Check the amount of liquid.  Check the meat as it is simmering to ensure it doesn't dry out - top up with extra stock if necessary.
    Freeze leftover curry for up to three months.  Defrost in the refrigerator and then reheat in a saucepan until piping hot.
    You can also serve this curry over rice instead of in bread.
    The calorie count assumes that all the bread will be eaten, which is normally not the case.

    Nutrition

    Calories - 631kcal | Carbohydrates - 68.3g | Protein - 47.7g | Fat - 18.7g | Saturated Fat - 4.2g | Cholesterol - 113mg | Sodium - 1468mg | Potassium - 1305mg | Fiber - 8.9g | Sugar - 16.3g | Calcium - 173mg | Iron - 9mg

    I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.

    Unless otherwise stated, a cup is the standard US cup containing 240 ml. In all my recipes this cup is assumed to hold 140g of flour. For help converting other ingredients between cups, grams, ounces and other measures, see my recipe conversion calculator.
    All my recipes are developed and tested at sea-level. For tips on adjusting recipes for high altitudes see my post on baking at high altitudes.
    Tried this recipe?If you made this recipe I'd love it if you could leave me a comment and let me know how it went!
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    About VJ

    Before I started my food blog I was an IT Consultant. Now that I've swapped an office for a kitchen I have a lot more time to spend on things that interest me such as trying out new recipes. Most of my cooking is based around quick and easy meals, mostly made from scratch, using everyday pantry ingredients.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      4.93 from 13 votes (7 ratings without comment)

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    1. pet

      June 19, 2024 at 12:37 pm

      5 stars
      My partner and I stumbled over here by a different page and thought I may as
      well check things out. I like what I see so now i am following you.
      Look forward to exploring your web page for a second
      time.

      Reply
    2. Renee

      October 30, 2023 at 10:50 am

      5 stars
      Yum! This tasted exactly like the curry my mum always made growing up. We would eat it on toast. I always wondered why I could never make a curry that tasted anything like hers. I never realised it was a South African recipe I should be searching for. Thank you so much VJ! This brought me lots of great ‘flavour memories’ and they have to be possibly the most nostalgic memories of all!

      Reply
      • VJ

        October 30, 2023 at 3:16 pm

        5 stars
        Glad you enjoyed it. I haven't made it for a while, but now that winter's here in the UK I think it's time to make it again!
        Funny you mention the toast - I like nothing better than curried mince between two slices of bread toasted in the sandwich maker 🙂

        Reply
    3. Rachel

      June 24, 2023 at 8:05 am

      5 stars
      This is the bomb in flavors, I put mine into the slow cooker.........perfecto!!!!

      Reply
      • VJ

        June 24, 2023 at 12:46 pm

        Glad you enjoyed it Rachel. I've not make it in the slow cooker myself - will have to give it a try.

        Reply
    4. Gunther Botes

      June 08, 2022 at 8:56 am

      hi VJ , it is so nice to see that you are educating the english on a real original South African dish . simple to make , but absolutely heavenly . this is a must try for anybody who loves curry , also for those entrepeneurs out there , this will make a fantastic " street food " as the bread is your serving container , no mess no fuss, huge potential

      Reply
      • VJ

        June 09, 2022 at 8:54 am

        Thanks - I agree - perhaps I should set up a stall somewhere 🙂

        Reply
    5. VJ

      August 21, 2019 at 5:56 pm

      5 stars
      I'm so pleased you like it - I love the South African curries too.

      Reply
    6. Chris

      August 21, 2019 at 5:06 pm

      5 stars
      I first tasted this in South Africa and this recipe really lives up to what I had out there. I love a good spicy curry and this really hit the spot.

      Reply

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