South African Bunny Chow Chickpea Curry

Ingredients

• 2 cans chickpeas, drained
• 1 lb potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 unsliced bread rolls or 1 small loaf
• 3 tbsp neutral oil
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
• 2 tbsp curry powder
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 cinnamon stick and 3 curry leaves
• 4 ripe tomatoes, diced
• 2 cups vegetable stock or water
• 1 lime, cut into wedges
• 1 1/2 tsp fine salt, plus more to taste
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Steps

1. Heat the oil in a heavy pot over medium heat and cook the onion with a pinch of salt for 8 minutes, until soft and deeply golden.
2. Add the garlic, ginger, curry powder, turmeric, cinnamon stick, and curry leaves and stir for 1 to 2 minutes, until the spices darken slightly and smell toasted.
3. Add the tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes, pressing them down, until they collapse and the oil separates at the edges of the pot.
4. Add the potatoes and the stock and simmer for 15 to 18 minutes, until the cubes are tender all the way through.
5. Add the chickpeas and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes more, crushing a quarter of them against the side of the pot.
6. The curry must be thick enough to hold its shape on a spoon before it goes into the bread. A loose curry soaks straight through the loaf and collapses it.
7. Cut the loaf in half and pull out the soft crumb from each half, leaving a sturdy wall of about an inch. Keep the crumb for dipping.
8. Discard the cinnamon stick, season the curry with salt and lime, ladle it into the hollowed bread, and serve with the reserved crumb on top and the cilantro.

Allergen note: Contains gluten.

Use the listed quantities as a guide, adjust seasoning to taste, and cook proteins to a safe internal temperature.