Snap, Sizzle & Cook

The 3rd December marks my family’s 1 year anniversary of living in Durban.  We moved up from Cape Town on the 3^rd December 2011.  You may be asking yourself what crazy person moves from the beautiful cosmopolitan city of Cape Town to the beautiful but not so cosmopolitan city of Durban. The answer is a justifiable one, work!

What is not justifiable though is the fact that I still haven’t had a bunny chow since moving to Durban.   That’s like moving to Cape Town and not going on the wine route.  I think my conscience finally caught up with me today.    While I was considering whether or not I should purchase a loaf of bread and make a lovely pot of curry, I had a light bulb moment.  I would make my own “beer bread” in an empty food tin, hollow the bread out once baked and fill it with curry.  It can be enjoyed straight out of the tin, no mess, no fuss and not too many dishes.

I couldn’t see this concept turning out a total flop so I got cracking.  The one disadvantage though is that a 400g tin is a bit small unless you’re making mince curry.  In this recipe I opted for lamb curry with the bones of the lamb knuckles taking a bit too much space in the tin.  I do suggest mince curry for this recipe or use a bigger tin.

The Curry:
1kg lamb knuckles (recommended is mince)
1 carton of buttermilk
10ml cumin
10ml coriander
5ml tandoori masala
2.5ml chilli powder or flakes
2 tins chopped tomatoes
1 stick of butter
Bunch of coriander roughly chopped
Method:  Place the lamb knuckles, buttermilk and spices in a bowl and mix well together.  Let it stand overnight (recommended) in the fridge to marinade or leave for about 2 hours. In a separate pot bring the tomatoes to a simmer to cook off the acidity.  Season and set aside.  Place the lamb knuckles in the pot and brown.  Add the remaining buttermilk/spice mix and tomatoes and let simmer for about 30 minutes.  Add the butter and let simmer for a further hour.  Lastly add the coriander.

The bread:
500g self-raising flour
1 can beer (Castle Lager)
5ml salt
3 empty food cans washed, sterilised and lightly greased
Mix all ingredients together to form a dough (might be sticky but that’s fine).  Fill each tin three quarter of the way, place on a baking tray and bake at 180 degrees for 45 minutes.  Slice the peak off the bread and set aside.  Taking a very sharp knife, insert close to the edge of the bread and cut all around removing the inside of the bread.  Fill with curry and place the peak back on.  Serve with a selection of sambals or just on its own.