Durban has one of the largest Indian communities outside Asia, descended largely from laborers brought to work the sugar plantations of Natal from 1860, and its curries are famously red, rich and hot. Bunny chow is the city's great invention: a loaf of white bread cut into a quarter or a half, its soft center scooped out, the cavity filled with curry and the scooped bread set back on top as a lid. The story most often told is that it gave workers a lunch that could be carried and eaten without plates or cutlery. Where the name came from is still disputed, though it has nothing to do with rabbits.

It is eaten with the hands, tearing the bread from the top down and saving the gravy soaked base for last. In Johannesburg, near Kyalami, a related loaf sandwich called the kota has its own following. Either way, it is a race weekend lunch that needs no washing up.

The lamb curry

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons (45 ml) vegetable oil
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 3 green cardamom pods
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 sprig (about 12 leaves) curry leaves
• 2 medium onions
• 1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 to 2 green chilies
• 3 to 4 tablespoons Durban masala
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 2 lb (900 g) bone in lamb shoulder or neck
• 3 medium tomatoes
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fine salt
• 2 cups (480 ml) water
• 3 medium potatoes
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 small handful fresh cilantro

The bread

Ingredients

• 1 large unsliced white sandwich loaf

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