Recipes
South African

Vegetarian Bunny Chow

Durban-inspired street food — a hollowed-out bread loaf filled with fragrant vegetable curry.

Vegetarian Bunny Chow

Ingredients

  • 1 loaf white or brown bread
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tomatoes, chopped
  • 2 carrots, diced
  • 1 cup shredded cabbage
  • 1 cup cooked beans (optional)
  • 1 tbsp curry powder
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • 1 chilli, chopped
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • Salt & pepper
  • Fresh coriander

Method

  1. 1

    Sauté onion, garlic, chilli, and carrots in oil until soft. Add spices and cook until fragrant.

  2. 2

    Add tomatoes, cabbage, beans (optional), and salt. Simmer 15–20 minutes until saucy and rich.

  3. 3

    Cut loaf in quarters. Hollow out centre to form bowls.

  4. 4

    Spoon hot curry into bread bowls. Top with coriander.

  5. 5

    Serve with the removed bread as dippers.

Swaps & variations

  • Add potatoes for Durban-style curry
  • Add spinach or morogo
  • Add coconut milk for richness
  • Add lentils for protein

Storing & freezing

Curry freezes up to 3 months. Do not freeze bread bowls — prepare fresh.

Grow it yourself

  • Cabbage: Prefers cool months; needs firm soil and regular watering; space well to prevent rot
  • Coriander: Grows best in partial shade; heat causes bolting — sow in cooler seasons
  • Tomatoes: Start indoors; transplant when warm; mulch deeply
  • Carrots: Direct sow in loose sandy soil; avoid transplanting
  • Use netting to protect cabbage from moths
  • Spray neem for aphids on tomatoes
  • Use chilli-garlic spray for general pests
  • Plant coriander near tomatoes to deter whiteflies
  • Cabbage: Harvest heads when firm and heavy; remove outer leaves for regrowth
  • Tomatoes: Pick fully ripe for best curry flavour
  • Carrots: Pull small carrots for sweetness; store larger roots in cool sand
  • Coriander: Harvest leaves young; allow some plants to set seed

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