Advertising promotion

The days are short and the nights are long – the first bite of winter has already set in and your soul is craving something that warms you from within. Spicy foods, of course, provide actual heat, but it’s more than those warm mouthfuls that you’re after, isn’t it?

That’s a universal craving, felt from the bustling streets of Durban to Marrakech.

What we need is something that transforms the chill into comfort. A kind of solace on those cold, cold nights, where that very heat spreads through your chest like internal sunshine.

Durban lamb curry bunny chow

Try this lamb curry bunny chow. Born in Durban in the 1940s, a bunny chow is a hollowed loaf of white bread cradling a rich, aromatic lamb curry, like we've made made using Woolworths’ Cape Malay curry and mother-in-law spice mixes.

The bread soaks up the curry's complex gravy and provides the perfect balance. However, it doesn’t detract from the much-desired heat and deep, warming embrace of this traditional South African curry.

Bunny Chow

Marrakech harissa chicken skewers

Travel north to Tunisia, where harissa originated, made from chillies, garlic, caraway coriander and more, just like Woolworths’ harissa blend. The spice blend's popularity soon spread to other parts of the Maghreb region, including Morocco and Algeria, as it transformed chicken into something else entirely, with each piece developing a burnished, caramelised exterior when thrown on the coals (or smoked in your air-fryer!) giving it a distinctive smoky heat.

While the curry is a slow burn, the chicken skewers offer an immediate, bright fire – but both awaken the senses radiating a warm, comforting glow. With these recipes – and the right spices – it doesn’t matter where you are, that warmth we crave when temperatures drop is but a teaspoonful or two away. You can create the kind of nourishing heat that makes winter something to savour, not something to endure.

Harissa chicken skewers

Find more winter dishes here

Photography and videography: Sadiqah Assur-Ismail

Recipes and production: Abigail Donnelly

Food assistant: Bianca Jones

Looking for a little extra flavour and kick? Make your meals tastier using flavour-packed seasonings and herbs from Woolworths.

Shop at Woolworths