Curry Bunny equals a Happyboy

 

Mdantsane, along with Chicago, Palma de Mallorca and Brussels (yes!), is one of your humble narrator's favourite places in the world.  Camden Town is in there too, as is Berlin.  And Prague.

But Mdantsane, second biggest township in Southern Africa (after Soweto), has a special place in the heart.  Home of two of the greatest pugilists in recent memory - Welcome Ncita and Vuyani Bungu - as well as the 1970s legend Happyboy Mxgaji.  The best fighter to never win a world title.  Anyway, we digress...

A long day at ringside at the Sisa Dukashe Stadium meant a burgeoning appetite.  And, although this blog has championed the cause of the Bunny Chow (a Kwa-Zulu Natal speciality) we now have to pay tribute to an Eastern Cape culinary extravaganza - the so-called "Curry Bunny".  This is almost an anomaly.  In place of Government bread (see blog passim) that forms the basis of the bunny chow, we have Vetkoek -  a traditional Afrikaner fried dough bread. It is either served filled with cooked mince or with syrup, honey, or jam. It is similar to the Caribbean "Johnny Cake", the Dutch "Oliebol" and the Mexican Sopapillas.

The word "vetkoek" literally means "oil cake" in Afrikaans. It is similar in shape to a doughnut without a hole, and is made with a yeast dough. In a traditional Afrikaner braai, vetkoek may be served alongside boerewors. Vetkoek is commonly sold at family owned take away restaurants and Afrikaans festivals and cultural events.

In Mdantsane, it was sold by a wide variety of streetside stalls, by hawkers at taxi ranks and fast food shops located in the area.

If you are adventurous enough to battle a hot pan of boiling vegetable oil, please give this a go.

Vetkoek Ingredients:

•  6¾ cups flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 packet yeast
• Lukewarm water
• Cooking oil (for frying... duh...)
• Vetkoek dough
• Mix sugar and yeast with some lukewarm water and leave to foam.
• Sift flour and salt.
• Pour yeast in flour and knead.
• Keep adding water and knead until you have a consistency like a bread dough.
• Leave the dough in the bowl and cover the bowl with a cloth.
• Leave the dough to rise for about 45 to 60 minutes until it is about double its original size.

Make the vetkoek

• Pour the cooking oil into a frying pan to have about 3 or 4cm of oil in the pan. Heat the oil to about 200°C
• Divide the dough into balls about the size of a tennis ball
• Flatten the dough until it is about 3 centimetres thick and about the size of your palm
• Place two or three pieces of the flattened dough at a time into the oil. Fry each side until golden brown

The curry bit...

• 30 ml olive oil or, better still, a couple of large tablespoons of ghee
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, crushed (don't skimp on garlic)
• Small handful of medium curry powder
• Tablespoon of Mrs Ball's chutney
• Teaspoon of ground cumin
• 600g quality beefsteak mince (or mutton/lamb, its down to personal taste)
• 2 tablespoons turmeric
• 250ml beef/chicken stock
• 500g mixed frozen vegetables (use a mixture of peas, green beans and corn)
• Seasoning to taste

Presentation:
Slice the cooked vetkoek three quarters across, and stuff the currried mince mixture in there, real tight.  Squash down and enjoy withn a (very) cold bottle of beer... Windhoek tends to do the trick. Bite. Exhale. Smile knowingly...