Bunny Chow
Recipe GLPR8ad554a68d61e7
A South African favorite featuring a spiced lamb curry scooped into hollowed-out bread. Fragrant whole spices, ginger, garlic, and curry powder create a rich, tender lamb stew with potatoes, finished with fresh coriander and bright lime juice. Served warm in crusty bread for a hearty, flavorful main course.
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Ingredients
2 tbsp vegetable oil
½ tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp fennel seeds
1 2.5cm piece cinnamon stick
2 green cardamom pods
1 star anise
1 bay leaf
1 onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp South African curry powder
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 kg boneless leg of lamb, cut into 1.5cm dice
1 tbsp fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 tbsp garlic, finely chopped
10 curry leaves
2 large potatoes, cut into cubes the same size as the meat
salt
2 tbsp fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped
2 tbsp lime juice
2 crusty white bread loaves, unsliced, halved and hollowed out
coriander cress or sprigs, for garnish
Directions
Warm the vegetable oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once shimmering, add the cumin seeds, fennel seeds, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, star anise, and bay leaf. Allow the spices to toast and release their fragrance for 1–2 minutes until they begin to crackle.
Add the finely chopped onion to the pot and cook, stirring frequently, for 5–7 minutes until the onion becomes soft and translucent.
Stir in the curry powder and cook for about one minute, stirring constantly to coat the onion. Add the chopped tomatoes and mix well to combine.
Continue cooking over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reduces and thickens into a sauce-like consistency, about 8–10 minutes.
Add the diced lamb, chopped ginger, chopped garlic, and curry leaves to the pot. Pour in 300ml of water and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for 40–50 minutes until the lamb is tender and easily falls apart with a spoon.
Add the potato cubes and season with salt to taste. Pour in 200ml of water and continue simmering for about 15 minutes, until both the meat and potatoes are fully cooked and tender.
Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the chopped fresh coriander and lime juice to brighten the flavors.
To serve, spoon the hot curry into the hollowed-out bread halves, allowing the curry to soak into the bread. Garnish with fresh coriander cress or sprigs and serve warm.
