Chicken Bunny Chow

Bunny chow, often referred to as a bunny is a South African fast food dish consisting of a hollowed out loaf of bread filled with curry. It originated in the Durban Indian community.
The bunny chow was created in Durban, home to a large community of people of Indian origin. The precise origins of the food are disputed, although its creation has been dated to the 1940s. It was also sold in Gwelo, Rhodesia (now Gweru), during WWII and is still sold in the nearby town of Kadoma, formerly known as Gatooma.

Stories of the origin of bunny chow date as far back as the migrant Indian workers arrival in South Africa. One account suggests that Indian migrant workers from India who were brought to South Africa to work the sugar cane plantations of Kwazulu-Natal (Port Natal) required a way of carrying their lunches to the field; a hollowed out loaf of bread was a convenient way to transport their vegetarian curries. Meat based fillings came later. The use of a loaf of bread can also be ascribed to the lack of the traditional roti bread, in the absence of which a loaf of bread would be acceptable as an accompaniment to curry.
One story which provides an etymology for bunny chow has it that a restaurant run by people known as Banias (an Indian caste)[3] first created the scooped-out bread and curry dish at a restaurant-cum-cafe called Kapitan's on the corner of Victoria and Albert streets in Durban.

bruce78952 @cook_3148149

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Ingredients

1 hour 30 mins

4 servings

For the chicken curry
2 tbspoil
1 largeonion, sliced into rings
8curry leaves
2 clovegarlic, finely chopped
1 tspfinely grated fresh ginger root
3 tspcurry masala
1 tspground cumin
1 tspground coriander
1 tspground cinnamon
1/2 tspground turmeric
1 kgskinless chicken breasts cut into strips
3 smallChillies finely chopped (or left whole if you prefer it mild, you fish them out at the end of cooking time)
2 mediumTomatoes
200 mlchicken stock
1 tsptomato puree
4 mediumPotatoes, peeled and diced
1 bunchfresh coriander leaves, to serve
For the tomato and mint sambal
2ripe firm Tomatoes, diced - or 2 carrots grated
2 tspmint sauce or mint jelly
1green chilli, finely diced
2 tspred wine vinegar
1 pinchSugar
Accompaniments
1Mrs. Balls chutney or any other fruit chutney
1Desiccated Coconut

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Steps

1 hour 30 mins

1

Make the tomato and mint sambal first: mix all the ingredients together, cover and leave to chill for an hour before serving.
2

For the chicken curry: heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the onion and curry leaves until the onion is soft and golden brown. Stir in the garlic, ginger and spices and cook for a couple of minutes over a low heat.
3

Increase the temperature and add the chicken and chillies, stirring well for a few minutes.
4

Add the tomatoes, half the stock and cook for about 10 minutes before adding the tomato puree
5

Add the potatoes and the remaining stock; cover and simmer for a further 20 minutes. Remove the chillies and curry leaves, adjust the seasoning if necessary and sprinkle with the coriander before serving.
6

Cut each loaf of bread cut in half and pulled the middle out. Fill the hollowed out half loaf with curry. Flatten the bread remove from the middle of the loaf and use as a lid.