Bunny Chow - South African street food

Bunny Chow! What more can I teach you about this hot and spicy tummy filler? Jeanne the Cooksister has made it, Juno from Scrumptious South Africa has made cute little bite-size bunny chows so this might be all old news to you, but in case you have missed out on this popular street food, stay a while and learn all there is to know about this filling grab-and-go meal. We are in the final month before the Fifa Soccer Extravaganza kicks off here in South Africa and restaurants, guesthouses and fast food outlets are stocking their pantries to the brim to be able to showcase what South Africa has to offer.

Although a bunny chow is hardly a meal you will order at one of our top restaurants, make sure you grab one on-the-go.

A Bunny Chow can only be eaten with your hands, from there the name originated. "Bunny" because you are eating with your hands like a rabbit and the  word Chow, was a slang word used for food. Bunny Chow originated in the KwaZulu Natal region amongst the first Indians who came to this region to work in the sugar fields. Indian workers did not have the time to make the traditional Indian breads and were exposed to the western breads to have with their curries. Because it took too much time and effort to cart all the different containers with curries to work, they cut the bread loaf in half, hollowed the soft part of the bread and filled it with their choice of curry. A nutritious and filling meal, all in one parcel. 



We are not Indian and we were not on the street grabbing a on-the-go-meal, but when I presented my family with a bunny chow each for supper the other night, I wish I had my camera handy to capture the look on their faces. The first question that popped out was:  "Mom, with what do I eat this?" Second question: "What the heck is this?"......  Last question: "Why are we having this?" It was at that moment that I dissapeared into the scullery to to re-appear with another South African invention...the Vuvuzela!!!!!!!!  My family knew immediately, what  their meal was all about! Street foods of South Africa.





Bunny Chow with Lamb Curry



2 white loaves of bread - halved(big appetites) or quartered(smaller appetites).



Stir sauce into stew and cook through. Add seasoning to taste. Now hollow out the quarter or half loaf, leaving some bread at the base. Spread the inside lavishly with butter and fill to the brim with hot spicy curry.