Recipe: Bunny Chow with Carrot Sambal

With the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup starting on February 14th, I’m sure plenty of people will have more than just Valentine’s Day on their minds. 14 nations from around the world will be battling it out to be crowned as this year’s winners, all with varying chances of success.

With countries from Afghanistan and Australia to Scotland and Sri Lanka taking part, Betfair have asked a number of bloggers to create a recipe inspired by one of the tournament’s top cricketing nations. Never one to shy away from a challenge, I’ve thrown my hat into the ring, and present you with my recipe, entitled “Bowled Out”.

My inspiration comes from the great cricketing nation of South Africa: a nation that has produced such legends as Graeme Smith, Johnny Waite, Graeme and Shaun Pollock and others. It’s also a nation that has produced some legendary food, taking its inspiration from a wide range of different cultures from around the world.

One such dish is bunny chow (known as kota by the locals), a popular fast food dish that those in the know never refer to by its full name. If you’re asked to “go out for a bunny”, you’ll be enjoying a dish made popular by the Indian community of Durban, consisting of a curry served in a hollowed out loaf of bread. This unusual serving method makes it a highly portable dish, often served in old newspapers and without utensils. Diners break off pieces of bread, the gravy from the curry having soaked in, and use these as their cutlery.

While the first bunny chows were vegetarian, they can now be crafted from a wide range of different meats too. Here, I’ve chosen chicken – and have served it with a side of carrot sambal: a combination of grated carrots, red wine vinegar, chillies, sugar and salt.

So, without further ado, here’s how to make “Bowled Out” – or a chicken bunny chow with carrot sambal.

Ingredients

For the Bunny Chow:

– 4 tbsp vegetable oil
– 2 medium onions, sliced
– 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
– 2 hot chillies (or more or less, depending on taste), deseeded and finely chopped
– 1/2 tsp fennel
– 1/2 tsp ground cumin
– 1/2 tsp garam masala
– 1/2 tsp ground ginger
– 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
– 1/2 tsp ground coriander
– 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
– 2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
– 2 tbsp tomato puree
– 375g chicken, diced
– 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
– 200ml boiling water
– Salt to taste
– One small loaf of crusty bread
– Fresh coriander, chopped

For the Carrot Sambal:

– 300g of carrots (peeled, topped and tailed weight)
– 1 1/2 tsp salt
– 1 tsp caster sugar
– 1.5 tbsp of deseeded and diced hot chillies
– 60ml red wine vinegar

Method

For the Bunny Chow:

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the onion and garlic and saute until soft.

2. Add the chillies and spices, mixing well, and cook for 3 minutes, stirring continuously.

3. Add the potatoes and mix well with the other ingredients. Do the same with the tomato puree.

4. Add the chicken and cook for 3 minutes, stirring to coat.

5. Stir in the tinned tomatoes, the boiling water and a pinch of salt. Simmer on a low heat for 40 minutes.

6. In the meantime, cut the loaf of bread in half, ensuring that each half has a flat end (you’ll be standing them up like bowls). Hollow out each half, making sure the walls are thick enough to carry the curry. Keep the bread that you’ve removed.

7. When the curry is ready, spoon it into the bread bowls – making sure you add plenty of sauce – and sprinkle with fresh coriander. Serve with the carrot sambal.

For the Carrot Sambal:

1. Grate the carrots, and stir in the salt. Mix well, and leave to stand for an hour at room temperature.

2. In the meantime, mix the chillies with the sugar and vinegar, and stir until the sugar has dissolved.

3. After an hour, squeeze the grated carrot by hand to drain out the liquid, and add to the bowl with the chilli/vinegar/sugar mixture. Mix well, and leave to stand at room temperature for at least 20 minutes before serving.

NB: I was asked by Betfair to take part in the Cricket World Cup Recipe challenge.