Bunny chow is simply a hollow bread roll stuffed with curry – not made with real bunny, but with tender pieces of stewed lamb. In its native South Africa it is often spooned into large hollowed-out loaves of bread, which are designed to be eaten with your hands – quite a challenge, even for the most dextrous! For ease of eating I prefer to use smaller rolls, so really hungry diners may want more than one.
Place the vegetable oil in a large, heavy-based pan and set over a high heat. When it’s hot, brown the lamb in 2 or 3 batches, transferring to a plate as you go. Set aside.
Add the onion, garlic and ginger to a food processor and whizz to a smooth paste, adding a tablespoon or two of cold water to help it along, if necessary.
Lower the heat on the empty pan and add the cumin, fennel, chilli flakes and cinnamon stick, frying for a few seconds until you can smell their aroma wafting up from the pan. Stir through the onion paste and fry for 10 minutes until starting to soften. Return all the meat and any juices to the pan, along with the tomatoes and garam masala. Season with salt and pepper, pour in 500ml water and bring to the boil. Cover with a lid, reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for about an hour, until the meat is nearly tender. Add the potatoes, re-cover and simmer for another 30 minutes or so until the potatoes are cooked.
While the curry is simmering, slice the tops off the bread rolls and scoop out the insides to leave a shell about 1cm thick all round. Reserve the insides for dunking in the curry.
When the curry has finished cooking, divide evenly between the hollow rolls. Garnish with a little coriander and a few onion slices and eat immediately – cutlery optional!
