Welcome to the Easter Bunny E
As I write this piece, more of that bothersome snow is predicted for the weekend, so let’s hope that it’s gone quickly.
Because today is a beautiful crisp blue sky day across the valley, and the snowdrops and crocuses pepper the ground with vibrant colour and a splash of welcome green.
There’s a feeling that everything is thinking about popping a few tentative shoots out of the earth, hoping that the temperatures will continue to rise.
But, generally it’s still a little nippy, so until the sun gains a little strength, let’s keep cooking along hearty, flavoursome lines. There’ll be plenty of time for salads soon enough.
Here’s a recipe I’ve had in the notebook for almost a decade now – the famous Durban Bunny Chow.
Its origin (and how many times have we heard this before?) is unclear, though it is known that the dish originated in the Malay Indian neighbourhoods of Durban, and the name is thought to refer to the Indian ‘Bania’ caste, who supplied this filling dish to sugar-cane plantation workers.
Under the appalling restrictions imposed by apartheid, immigrant workers were refused the use of cutlery, so a means of serving had to be improvised.
The hollowed-out bread idea soon caught on, and even now, a classic Bunny Chow is served in a hollowed out square half loaf. If you Google images for it, you’ll see that it is very much designed for comfort over style – they look vaguely ridiculous, but something about the idea still appeals. In many parts of the world, serving things within bread is a method used even now; think of all the myriad folded tortilla dishes in Mexico, or the empanadas of South America.
In France, there’s the Pan Bagnat, that wonderful pressed bread sandwich, crammed with tuna, tomatoes and salad, which brightens any picnic. Many countries serve soups and chowders in bread bowls, and here in the British Isles we enjoy the ultimate ‘meal in a parcel,’ the mighty Cornish Pasty. And let’s not forget that in pre-plate days, our famous roast beef and gravy was served on a bread ‘trencher,’ which was either eaten by gluttonous diners, but more usually sent out to the nearby village as alms.
So, we’re in good company using bread as a serving device here, though I fancied making it a little more appealing by serving my Bunny Chow is individual round loaves, the choice of which is up to you. Just make sure the engineering is up to the job; you need a good crusty roll to keep all the curry well-contained – I like the ‘giraffe’ bread rolls for this recipe.
For the filling, I’m making my quick ‘Saturday curry,’ which I make so often I reckon I could do it blindfold by now.
It’s easy, full of flavour, and suits the recipe really well, though of course you can prepare your curry in any way you prefer your bunny chow could be made with anything from a sweet lentil-crammed Dhansak to a rich lamb Rogan Josh, or just a simple fresh veggie curry.
Just make sure it’s fairly wet, in order to soak that bread bowl and make it a delicious way of finishing the meal.
You could also add yoghurt or a mint raita sauce, or even a dollop of lime pickle or mango chutney. It’s up to you.