Venison Curry Bunny Chow

Venison Curry Bunny Chow is a traditional South African recipe for a classic dish of curried minced (ground) lamb topped with an egg custard that's oven baked to cook. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic South African version of: Venison Curry Bunny Chow.

prep time

25 minutes

cook time

100 minutes

Total Time:

125 minutes

Serves:

4

Rating:

Tags : CurrySpice RecipesVenison RecipesSouth-africa Recipes

Bunny chow is a real Durban classic. It’s a meaty curry served in half a hollowed-out loaf. It originated during the dark days of apartheid and was a way that black patrons (not allowed in the restaurant) could buy a curry round the back. It has now become a Durban institution. Originally served in hollowed-out white bread it can today be made completely on the braai (barbecue) and served in potbrood, or for a more chefy version serve in a granary cob. When I went shopping this morning the white square loaf was not available so we had to do with the equivalent brown bread.

If anyone is confused by my use of the term ‘venison’ here, as many will know that there are no true deer in Africa. However, many species of antelope are sister to true deer and thus are cervids. The meat we had came from kudu, which along with gemsbok, eland, blaesbok and springbok comprise the five species of domesticated antelope.

Now, you can substitute lamb, goat or beef in this recipe with no issues. The interesting feature of this recipe is the use of malt (brown) vinegar as a souring ingredient, which might represent a not to Portuguese-influenced Mozambican cuisine. Though Durban curries do originate from the Indian population. To make this dish you really should use Durban masala (which is quite spicy). I will include a recipe for this shortly. However, if you do not have access to Durban masala then you can use the curry powder of your choice. Note, however, that Durban masala is not based on turmeric, hence my use of turmeric later in the recipe. If you are using a more standard turmeric-based curry powder, omit the additional turmeric.

This recipe calls for apricot juice. You can make your own by coarsely chopping 6 dried apricots. Pour over 150ml (3/5 cup) boiling water. Cover and set aside to steep for 30 minutes then drain.

Of course, you don’t have to serve this curry bunny style. You can just as easily accompany with rice or couscous. Or, for an alternate South African twist, why not add dombolo (dumplings) about 15 minutes before the curry is due to be ready then serve the curry accompanied by the dombolo (see the recipe for Durban curry with potatoes and dumplings for how to make these).

Many people seem to get this wrong, but just to clarify the terminology... the curry is the 'chow' and the bread is the 'bunny'. A curry may be served in many ways, such as with rice, flatbreads etc. Here the curry is served 'bunny style' that is the curry is served in bread, giving you bunny chow. Bunny chow is not the name of the curry, but the style in which its served. Typically a Durban-style curry (using Durban masala) is served this way.

Ingredients:

500g (1 lb) venison (or lamb or goat or beef) cubed

For the Marinade:
125ml (1/2 cup) malt (brown) vinegar
2 tsp Durban masala (or your choice of curry powder)
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander seeds
¼ tsp ground turmeric
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp ginger, finely grated
2 tbsp brown sugar

For the Curry:
2 large onions, peeled and chopped
2 hot chillies, finely chopped (omit or reduce for a milder curry)
1 celery stick, finely diced (optional)
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 cloves
3 allspice (pimento) berries
125ml (1/2 cup) fruit juice (apricot is typical)
3 tbsp peach chutney (or apricot Blatjang)
3 bay leaves (Indian bay)
1 cup pitted, dried, dates

Method:

Begin with the marinade. Whisk the ingredients together, place in a non-reactive bowl, add the meat and massage to combine. Cover and set aside for 15 minutes to marinate.

At the end of this time, drain the meat and reserve the marinade. Add half the oil to a heavy casserole over medium-high heat. Add half the meat and fry, stirring frequently until nicely browned all over. Remove the meat with a slotted spoon and set aside then fry the second batch. Again, remove the meat, add the remaining oil to the pan and use to gently fry the onions, chillies, celery, cloves and allspice until the onions are soft and golden (you can remove the spices at this point). Return the meat to the pot, add the remaining marinade along with the apricot juice, peach chutney and bayleaves.

Bring the mixture to a boil, stir an add the dried dates. Either part-cover the pot with a lid and simmer on the hob (or your barbecue) for 80 minutes or cover with a lid and transfer to an oven pre-heated to 160C (320F) and cook for 80 minutes. After 1 hour of cooking check the curry and if it looks too dry add more juice (but you are looking for a fairly dry curry so your bread does not become too soggy).

Season to taste with salt and freshly-ground black pepper and serve directly from the cooking pot and accompanied by hollowed-out bread (the ‘bunny’).