South African Bunny Chow or Road Kill Recipe?

So I was eating lunch with a colleague today. We always end up discussing recipes, and I always end up laughing as hers seem to include tons of butter or cheese or cream or all of the above. But……. I literally almost spat my water across the room when I heard todays recipe – it’s called Bunny Chow.

Now when I went and reasearched the recipe on the internet it looks a LOT different to what my colleague explained. It’s supposed to be a bit of hollowed out bread with a potato based curry put into it and eating like the bread is a bowl – see recipe below.

However, as with most of her recipes, I think it’s more of a family preference, or in this case a student flat recipe, mixed with the downright absurd.

So her take on Bunny Chow is:

First take a loaf of bread and hollow it out. Then fill it with chips (french fries – very greasy ones apparently), lots of cheese and Russian or Vienna sausage (a salami like spicy sausage). You then wrap it up in cling film (glad wrap or the clear film whatever you call it) and also a towel!!!

and then…….. the best bit – you run it over with your car to flatten it a bit. Just once mind you – not back and forwards – just drive over it with one wheel! Oh you have to make sure it’s a small car – not a big one – or it’ll end up looking like a pancake! WTF? I seriously have only just stopped laughing. I’m cursing that I wore mascara today as I probably look like a panda now!

I’m not quite sure whether this is some sort of bizarre road kill recipe like eating possum’s out of a hub cap but it has to be one of the weirdest things I have ever heard in my life. And apparently we are going to try her version of Bunny Chow one day at work – once my small car has had it’s transmission fixed! – I have to say I am somewhat intrigued – whether I eat it or not will be reserved until I actually see the thing post road kill.

Are there any random recipes or ways of cooking that you do or have heard about? Would love to know some more!

 

In the meantime below is the recipe I found for Durban Bunny Chow:

BUNNY CHOW (serves 4)

Ingredients:

1 kg lamb, cubed 1 medium onion, sliced thinly into rings 2 large tomatoes or 1x400g tin chopped tomatoes 2 Tbsp vegetable oil 2-3 curry leaves 1 stick cinnamon 4 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed 1.5 tsp crushed ginger 1.5 tsp crushed garlic 4 tsp Durban masala (or substitute shop-bought curry powder,as hot or mild as you like) 1 tsp ground turmeric 2 tsp garam masala 3-4 potatoes, cubed Salt 1 or 2 (depending on the size) crusty, square loaves of bread Fresh coriander leaves to garnish

Method:

Cube the meat and slice the onion; peel and dice the tomato.

Heat the oil and add the cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, onion and curry leaves. Fry until the onion is light golden brown in colour.

Add the masala mix (or curry powder), turmeric, ginger, garlic and tomato.  Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the mix resembles a puree.

Add the meat and cook for about 10 minutes. Then add the poatoes and about 1/4 cup of water.  Lower the heat and simmer over low heat until the meat is tender and the potatoes cooked.  Keep an eye on it to make sure the bottom of the pot does not burn.

When the meat is cooked through and the potatoes are tender (about 30 minutes), add the garam masala mixture. Test for seasoning and add salt if necessary. Simmer for a further 10 minutes on a low heat.

In the meantime, take a fresh loaf of white bread  – it needs to be crusty on the outside with a nice, soft crumb.  Little farmouse loaves half the size of standard loaves are ideal.  Halve the loaf and scoop out the soft white crumb, leaving the crust to form a “bowl”.

Spoon the curry into the half loaf and serve, garnished with coriander leaves.  The soft crumb can be dipped into the curry and eaten as well.