Many people claim to know the origin of currywurst, or German sausage with curry-flavored tomato sauce, but none can agree on exactly where. Easy to find in Germany, it is harder to find the best, many "Imbissbuden" (fast-food stands) serve cheap knock-offs.
For a good currywurst, good quality sausage must be grilled hot and the catsup should have body, do not use the cheap, thin, watered down stuff out of the squeeze bottle. Here is a recipe that starts with tomato paste, not catchup, in case you don't have any catchup on hand.
Makes enough sauce for 3-4 currywurst with fries.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 tsp. oil
- 1/2 c. chopped onion (about 1/2 small onion)
- 1/2 c. chopped apple
- 1 clove garlic, chopped fine
- Water to thin tomato paste
- 1 six-ounce can tomato paste
- 2 T. honey
- 1/4 tsp. ground allspice
- 1/4 c. vinegar
- 3-5 tsp. curry powder, to taste
- 1-2 tsp. freshly grated ginger
- 1 bay leaf
- Freshly ground pepper, to taste
Preparation:
Sauté the onion and apple in oil until onion is translucent. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute.
Note:For a more elite taste, add the spices after the garlic and sauté, stirring constantly, for 2-3 minutes or until spices are fragrant.
Pour in 1/2 cup water and deglaze the pan. Add the tomato paste, honey and all the spices. Simmer for 1/2 hour or longer, adding water to reach desired consistency.
Remove bay leaf and blend with an immersion blender for smooth sauce, or leave chunky if desired.
Serve warm over your choice of sausage which has been grilled and sliced into one inch bites or scored on a diagonal and grilled (more crispy surface area) and then sliced.
Sausage can be a bratwurst (western Germany) or a smooth, hot dog-like sausage (Berliner currywurst). Try a knockwurst (knackwurst) or frankfurter if you cannot find the real thing.
