Mutton and Sugar Bean Bunny Chow
A Durban classic made for tearing, dipping and soaking up every last bit of gravy.
This mutton and sugar bean bunny chow is pure Durban comfort food: tender mutton, creamy sugar beans and soft potatoes simmered in a deeply spiced, generous gravy, then loaded into a hollowed-out loaf of fresh white bread. My mum's trick is to use plenty of onion—including a grated onion cooked into the curry—which gives you exactly the kind of rich gravy you want soaking into the bread.
Before you start
Get your mise en place ready so nothing catches you out mid-cook.
Method
- 1
Prepare the Sugar Beans
Drain the sugar beans that have been soaking overnight and transfer them to a saucepan. Cover generously with fresh water and bring to a boil.
- 2
Cook for approximately 60 minutes, or until the beans have begun to soften but are not yet completely tender. Drain and set aside.
⏱ 1 hr - 3
Build the Curry Base
Heat the ghee in a large, heavy-based pot over medium heat.
The rest of this recipe
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Ivana Sanshia’s note
Traditionally, bunny chow is very much a hands-on meal— the bread itself becomes part of how you eat the curry.
Sugar beans: In South Africa, sugar beans generally refers to the speckled beans commonly used in dishes such as sugar-bean curry. If you're cooking outside South Africa, cranberry/borlotti-type beans are the closest commonly available substitute.
Mum’s note
More onion means more gravy. The second grated onion is a trick I learned from my mum. It cooks down into the sauce, giving the curry extra body and plenty of rich gravy to soak into the bread—the part that makes a really good bunny chow.
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