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A truly South African meal of a Beans Bunny! Do not wait to try out this lovely South African Bunny Chow With Butter Beans Curry.
Bunny Chow
Bunny chow, often referred to simply as a bunny, is a South African fast food dish consisting of a hollowed-out loaf of white bread filled with curry. It originated among Indian South Africans of Durban.
Why is a bunny chow called that?
Although various origin stories exist, they all have one thing in common: White bread was the only bread available with which Indian immigrants could eat their curries. Some say that members of an Indian caste known as Banias initially served the dish in restaurants, hence the name bunny chow.
When did the Bunny Chow originate?
Bunny Chow originated in Durban’s Indian community during the apartheid area. From 1948 to 1994, apartheid laws forbid blacks from entering restaurants or cafes, so they took to ordering take-out meals from the sides or backdoors of restaurants.
Bunny Chow With Butter Beans Curry
- Prep Time: 12 hours
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 12 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf of bread – 4 servings 1x
- Category: South African Recipes
- Cuisine: South African
Description
A classic South African beans bunny served with lots of gravy and a side of vegetable pickle.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Butter Beans (soaked overnight) or
- 2 Cans Butter Beans
- 1 Onion (chopped)
- 1 Tomato (chopped)
- 2–3 Curry Leaves
- 1 tsp. Ground Ginger & Garlic
- 1/2 tsp. Coriander Powder
- 1/2 tsp. Cumin Powder
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 1/2 tsp. Turmeric Powder
- Chili Powder/Masala (for your heat level)
- Salt to taste
- 2 Potatoes (quartered)
- Oil
- 1 loaf of white bread
Instructions
- Boil the beans in plain water till fork tender (retain the water).
- Heat oil in a large pot.
- Cook onion till soft.
- Then add in garlic, ginger, tomato, bay leaves, curry leaves, chili, and turmeric powder.
- Allow it to cook together for a few minutes.
- Pour in half a cup of retained water, and add in the potatoes and salt.
- Allow this to cook until the potatoes are tender (add more water if needed).
- Once tender, add in the beans and some more water (enough for a gravy) to allow it to simmer on a low heat until it has thickened.
- Enjoy!!
Notes
Prepared, tried, and tested by Rochelle from The Recipe Hunter: Tried and Tested Recipes from Home Chefs and SA Tasty Recipes -Saffas Daily Recipes
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 1152
- Sugar: 17
- Sodium: 1467
- Fat: 57
- Saturated Fat: 31
- Unsaturated Fat: 21
- Trans Fat: 2
- Carbohydrates: 136
- Fiber: 15
- Protein: 28
- Cholesterol: 122
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I’ve never heard of it. What an interesting history. Looks delicious! Thanks for sharing this post with us at the Will Blog for Comments #45 linkup. Hope you’ll share more posts with us at #46 which starts Monday.
Hi Jennifer. Thank you for popping in here. This is a very typical and truly SA dish. Yes I will be back for the next linkup
Esme, I’ve never tried this, but it sounds wonderful. Thank you for sharing your recipe at The Crazy Little Lovebirds link party #33.
Bunny Chow for sure is delicious and a very SA treat. Hope you will enjoy it.
You keep sharing nice yummies.
Morning Melody. Thank you so much for your kind words, much appreciated. I am so glad to hear that you enjoy the recipes and then also take the time to drop in. Hope you do make some of these and enjoy them.