South African · Lunch & handhelds

Durban bunny chow

Name: Durban bunny chow
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 2 h
Total time: 2 h 50 min
Yield: 4 bread loaves
Cuisine: South African
Ingredients: 2 1/2 pounds boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces; 2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided; 3 tablespoons neutral oil or ghee; 1 cinnamon stick; 2 bay leaves; 1 star anise; 1 teaspoon fennel seeds; 1 large yellow onion, finely diced; 2 tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger; 5 garlic cloves, finely grated; 2 tablespoons Durban masala or hot South African curry powder; 1 teaspoon ground coriander; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric; 1/2 teaspoon Kashmiri chile powder; 12 fresh curry leaves; 1 small hot green chile, slit; 1 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes; 2 cups hot water, plus more as needed; 1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks; 1 unsliced rectangular white sandwich loaf; 2 medium carrots, coarsely grated; 1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced; 3 tablespoons white vinegar; 1 teaspoon sugar

Durban-style lamb curry with a thick, clinging gravy and tender potatoes packed into hollowed white-bread quarters, with the saved bread plugs and sharp carrot sambal.

About 2 hr 50 minTotal

About 2 hr 35 minActive

$$$Cost

AdvancedDifficulty

Makes 4 bread loaves

Equipment

Use a hot sheet pan under an inverted oven-safe metal bowl for the covered phase.
Best value covered pot
Lodge Essential Enamel 6-Quart Dutch Oven · EC6D43
View at Amazon
Another workable path: Use a hot sheet pan under an inverted oven-safe metal bowl for the covered phase.
Paid links. As an Amazon Associate, Kwilt earns from qualifying purchases.
How we chose
Research-backed · reviewed Aug 2026
We matched capacity, lid fit, oven rating, heat retention, maneuverability, care, stable model identity, and usefulness outside bread baking. Kwilt has not baked with this pot.
Lodge Essential Enamel 6-Quart Dutch Oven · EC6D43: The six-quart capacity, heavy cast-iron body, and fitted lid create the enclosed high-heat environment used by these bread methods while remaining useful beyond baking. Trade-off: At more than thirteen pounds it is demanding to move when hot, and the enamel needs gentler utensils and hand washing.
Another workable path: Bake on a preheated heavy sheet pan under an inverted oven-safe metal bowl, keeping face and hands clear when removing the hot cover.
Sources
Lodge six-quart Essential Enamel specifications
Amazon exact product listing

Ingredients

1× recipe · Makes 4 bread loaves

2 1/2 pounds boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
3 tablespoons neutral oil or ghee
1 cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
1 star anise
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 large yellow onion, finely diced
2 tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger
5 garlic cloves, finely grated
2 tablespoons Durban masala or hot South African curry powder
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon Kashmiri chile powder
12 fresh curry leaves
1 small hot green chile, slit
1 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes
2 cups hot water, plus more as needed
1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
1 unsliced rectangular white sandwich loaf
2 medium carrots, coarsely grated
1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar

Instructions

Season lamb with 1 teaspoon salt. Heat oil in a over medium-high and brown lamb in batches; remove. Lower heat, add cinnamon, bay, star anise, and fennel, and stir until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add yellow onion and cook until deep gold, 10 to 12 minutes.
Add ginger, garlic, masala, coriander, cumin, turmeric, chile powder, curry leaves, and green chile; stir 1 minute. Add tomatoes and cook until thick and the oil begins to separate, 6 to 8 minutes.
Return lamb with 2 cups hot water. Cover and simmer gently 60 minutes. Add potatoes and remaining salt; simmer partly covered until lamb is fork-tender, potatoes are cooked through, and gravy clings to a spoon, 30 to 45 minutes. Add only enough water to prevent scorching; remove whole spices.
Toss carrots and red onion with vinegar and sugar; rest 15 minutes. Cut the loaf crosswise into four tall quarters. Hollow each from the cut top, leaving a sturdy wall and base, and save each bread plug.
Set bread quarters upright on plates. Fill to the top with hot thick curry, making sure each gets lamb, potato, and gravy. Cap or lean the bread plugs alongside and serve immediately with carrot sambal.

Durban, South AfricaIndian South African cooking

From the table

About this recipe

Bunny chow is a Durban dish rooted in the city's Indian South African community; disputed origin stories should not obscure its functional identity of thick curry inside an unsliced white-loaf vessel.

Bunny chow is a Durban, South African dish rooted in the city’s Indian South African community; it contains no rabbit. Origin stories vary and should not be presented as settled fact. Lamb or mutton, chicken, and bean curries all have precedent. A thick curry and unsliced white loaf are functional essentials because the bread is both vessel and utensil. This Kwilt version follows the reviewed household adaptation: Use a Durban-style lamb-and-potato curry with a carefully reduced gravy, preserve the loaf-and-plug service, and state the Indian South African history without claiming one disputed origin story.

Sources

Dinner does not stop at the recipe