Bunny Chow

We all know what a bunny is; those cute furry baby rabbits with pom pom tails. We probably all know what chow is; the slang word for food, a.k.a grub, nosh, munch or kos (in Afrikaans). But put two and two together and you get Bunny Chow; a traditional South African meal, predominantly found in Durban or elsewhere along the East Coast. In short, this grab-on-the-go food is a hollowed out half loaf of bread crammed with curry or other meaty-based stew type filling. Carb overload? Yes. Outcome? Scrumptious.

You’re probably thinking, ‘how in the world does this resemble rabbit food’, and you wouldn’t be the only one because those were my exact thoughts when I first came across the expression. Bunny Chow was created in Durban where a large community of Indian people settled but is now eaten among a wide range of ethnic groups.

All I can say that is whoever came up with the ingenious concept of shoving curry in a loaf of bread should have won a medal. For me, it goes hand in hand with the whole gravy in a Yorkshire pudding scenario. Delicious yet practical.

Bunny chow is sold frequently on the side of the road as well as in fast-food establishments. For relatively expensive ingredients that are used in the creation, you can buy it in South Africa for peanuts, roughly R20 (£1.50). Not bad hey? I’m sure it is being served in restaurants too but I can’t imagine there is a market for it in the more classy places. Half a loaf of bread on a plate is unsightly enough as it is, let alone without the bulging meaty filling (that sounds a bit racy doesn't it? I apologise).

You certainly don’t want to be eating too many Bunny Chows unless you want to end up like a heffa lump, but every once in a while it is gorgeously indulgent treat. I first tried it in Scottburgh, a small town on the East Coast when Rog & I were staying with Leon & Neels at Ambercrest Guesthouse. They were kind enough to invite us for supper and when I heard Bunny Chow was on the menu, I was really happy as I hadn’t tried it yet (and it is my goal to sample each and every traditional South African dish).

So if you are ever feeling hungry, and when I say hungry, I mean could-eat-a-horse type of hungry, and you have left over curry or casserole of some variety, then definitely give this one a try. It is a total winner. There are no rules when eating Bunny Chow, anything goes really; sod the knife and fork and instead simply get stuck in. Tug off pieces of bread and then mop up and devour the meaty core. I am thinking it would be absolutely perfect for a hangover. 

Sunday Braai-day Sunday

What comes to mind when you think of Sundays in London? Is it lazy mornings reading the paper and drinking coffee? Is it brunch and beer with friends in the pub? Maybe it’s a pyjama and movie day at home with family. In my opinion, quite frankly these all sound quite delicious.

Ask a South African what constitutes a happy Sunday and I’m sure 90% will mention the word ‘braai’. For those that don’t know what a braai is, I will explain. A braai is an all-day social gathering involving family and friends, drinking and cooking food slowly on an open fire made from wood and coal. Some of you I bet will be thinking, ‘so it’s basically a BBQ’. Well my friends, I have to say I would pretty much agree with this statement. Tell a South African that a braai is the same as a BBQ however and you will get a death stare I can guarantee you.

Having lived with a South African (male I may add) for the past 4 months, I have been introduced to and educated into the world of braai’ing. Every young guy knows how to perform this hereditary South African-ism and each is very proud of the fact they he can start his own fire. To be quite honest, get a bloke in front of any kind of fire, be it an open fire or a gas barbecue and they instantly feel a little bit more masculine. 

Any other day of the week, they won’t be caught dead in the kitchen but when it comes to this very significant occasion, it is quite strictly no women allowed. Actually, let me correct my ‘no women allowed’ statement. Of course we all know that during an English BBQ or SA braai, the women are designated as the salad makers (which by the way we always rock).

There is 2 ways you can make a braai. One is with wood and coal and the other is just with wood. If you are going to do the latter, your wood needs to be of good quality (this means a nice dry batch). Either way, the wood needs to turn to coal and/or the coals smoldering to a temperature where you can hold your hand over the heat for approximately 3 seconds before you are forced to remove it. At this time, you know it’s on. The meat can be added. In England, it’s quite simple –you turn the gas on and go grab a beer while it heats up. In the background, you will ultimately hear someone asking, ‘what time will the food be ready?’ This statement would not be received well at a South African braai, let me tell you. This is a whole day event people, we don’t have a time schedule - we simply enjoy the pleasure of our friends company while not worrying about intermittent rain ruining our lovely day.

As the women look out of the kitchen and see that the coals look ready, they will be putting the potato bake in the oven assuming that the meat is just about to go on. But as they turn around again after closing the oven door, they notice that one of the men has added more wood to the fire god damn it.

So what exactly does one ‘braai’? When a barbeque springs to mind, I’m sure most of you in the UK envisage burgers and sausages and if you’re lucky steak (not forgetting the delicious array of potato salad, couscous salad, greens and other beauty’s prepared by us girls). The South African equivalent is quite different. The meat may include lamb chops, pork chops, beef steaks, chicken spatchcock, chicken wings, boerewors (I’ll come to that another time). A more elaborate braai could even include various game such as kudu, springbok, gemsbok etc.

So while these meats are being marinated, spiced or quite simply taken out of their packaging, the women are slaving away to make the delicious accompaniments. I have had the pleasure of trying the following, and believe me I’m sure there are many more:

-Butternut squash (just called butternut here, oh by the way South Africans LOVE to abbreviate words) halved down the middle stuffed with spinach and feta, or simply brown onion soup granules.

-Gem squash which is a more stringy vegetable that looks a bit like a small melon with a generous dollop of butter in the middle.

-They also love to peel whole onions, wrap them in foil and bung them on the coals.

These 3 examples may not seem too out of the ordinary to the average Brit, but let me tell you, when I found out that people even braai sandwiches, even I was taken aback (this coming from someone who has eaten scorpions in China). For the lazy braai-er, SA supermarkets stock ‘braai rolls’, a ready-made sandwich if you will that you quite simply chuck on with the rest of the food. I am going to give you a recipe for my slightly more pimped up version.

Maddy’s braai roasted sandwiches

You will need:

Bread (any you choose but ciabatta works well)

Butter

Cheese (any really but my favourite is goats cheese or brie)

Tomatoes

Onions

Some sort of delicious relish or chutney

Method:

1)Spread butter inside and out of the bread

2)Fill your sandwich with the cheese, tomatoes and onions, season with black pepper and flaked sea salt and top with a layer of the chutney or relish

3)Close tightly and ceremoniously march to the fire.

4)High above the coals, carefully braai until it looks bursting at the seams with deliciousness (be warned, these bad boys cook quickly)

You can basically fill it with anything you choose but ultimately what you will have is the best toasted sandwich you’ve ever tasted. Enjoy and let me know how yours goes.