I first had this addicting fast food in Germany in the 1980s, when I originally fell in love with it in Düsseldorf! Having recently had it while on the run in the Cologne train station, it instantly rekindled my lust for this favorite Berlin-developed German variety of street food.
It dates back to 1949 when both ketchup and curry powder were two of the ingredients that British soldiers brought to post World War II Berlin. An enterprising German woman in the Charlottenburg district of Berlin, by the name of Herta Heuwer, began selling pork sausage with this sauce, it became all the rage. It can now be found all over Germany.
The sausages are served sliced into little coin shaped discs, then this heated-up rich and exotically spicy sauce is ladled onto it, and a generous sprinkling of curry powder is shaken onto the top of it before serving. It is typically served in a little paper plate with edges, and a wooden or plastic fork to eat the cut-up pieces of sausage with. Currywurst is served with a roll of white bread and/or with an optional order of Französisch frites (French fries) on the side. Both—especially the fries—are perfect for being dipped into this distinctive vinegary and sweet tomato sauce with its exciting blast of curry.
Germany has been in love with this spicy street food for years. Try it—with or without fries—and you will see why: es ist fantastich!
Currywurst
Ingredients:
—3 15 ounce cans of Tomato Sauce
—1 6 ounce can of Tomato Paste
—1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
—1/4 cup Sugar
—3 tablespoons Curry Powder
—2 teaspoons Ground Black Pepper
—3 teaspoons Salt
—2 teaspoons Paprika
—2 teaspoons Onion Powder
—1 teaspoon Ground Ginger
—1 teaspoon Cayenne (Red) Pepper
—4 tablespoons of additional Curry Powder in a shaker bottle as a garnish
—Up to 1-2 pounds of sausage
—2 tablespoons Olive Oil (or other cooking oil)
NOTE: The way I had it in Cologne, it was served with a white sausage called Weis Wurst, which means “white sausage.” It is a sausage made with white meat pork, which makes it light in color. If you want to have your Currywurst just like it is in Berlin, I would go with Weis Wurst. However, any German or Polish Sausage will certainly work with this recipe as well. It’s all about the sauce, so the sausage you use can range from bratwurst, to kalbasa, and even a good old American hot dog. You could certainly use this sauce on a hot dog on a bun as well. Whatever sausage you choose, it will instantly be elevated to a new plateau of spiciness if you use this sauce.
Directions:
In a saucepan place the tomato sauce, tomato paste, vinegar, sugar, curry powder, black pepper, salt, paprika, onion powder, ground ginger and cayenne pepper, and mix evenly. Heat to a boil on medium to medium high heat, while continuously stirring. This should only take five or six minutes. When it comes to a boil, turn it down to very low heat and continue to let it simmer.
Meanwhile, in a frying pan, add the olive oil and proceed to brown the sausages on all sides. You can also grill the sausages over a barbecue, on a grill pan.
When the sausages are cooked and browned, and the sauce is hot, you are ready to roll! Using one or two sausages per serving, slice the sausages into round half inch pieces and arrange on plates. Ladle an ample amount of the curry sauce on top of them. Sprinkle additional curry powder on top of them, and you are ready to serve Currywurst at its finest.
As mentioned before, French fries, are the ultimate accompaniment for Currywurst. To complete the authentic German effect, serve with mayonnaise on the side for the fries as well. One bite of your own homemade Currywurst, and it’s every bit as good as ordering it on a street corner in Germany!
This nice and spicy sauce is so good that it could even be used as barbecue sauce on chicken, ribs, or even a hamburger.
Since this recipe is basically the same as making your own incredibly delicious spicy curried version of ketchup, you can keep this as a condiment in a jar or a covered pan for over a week, if refrigerated.
It dates back to 1949 when both ketchup and curry powder were two of the ingredients that British soldiers brought to post World War II Berlin. An enterprising German woman in the Charlottenburg district of Berlin, by the name of Herta Heuwer, began selling pork sausage with this sauce, it became all the rage. It can now be found all over Germany.
The sausages are served sliced into little coin shaped discs, then this heated-up rich and exotically spicy sauce is ladled onto it, and a generous sprinkling of curry powder is shaken onto the top of it before serving. It is typically served in a little paper plate with edges, and a wooden or plastic fork to eat the cut-up pieces of sausage with. Currywurst is served with a roll of white bread and/or with an optional order of Französisch frites (French fries) on the side. Both—especially the fries—are perfect for being dipped into this distinctive vinegary and sweet tomato sauce with its exciting blast of curry.
Germany has been in love with this spicy street food for years. Try it—with or without fries—and you will see why: es ist fantastich!
Currywurst
Ingredients:
—3 15 ounce cans of Tomato Sauce
—1 6 ounce can of Tomato Paste
—1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
—1/4 cup Sugar
—3 tablespoons Curry Powder
—2 teaspoons Ground Black Pepper
—3 teaspoons Salt
—2 teaspoons Paprika
—2 teaspoons Onion Powder
—1 teaspoon Ground Ginger
—1 teaspoon Cayenne (Red) Pepper
—4 tablespoons of additional Curry Powder in a shaker bottle as a garnish
—Up to 1-2 pounds of sausage
—2 tablespoons Olive Oil (or other cooking oil)
NOTE: The way I had it in Cologne, it was served with a white sausage called Weis Wurst, which means “white sausage.” It is a sausage made with white meat pork, which makes it light in color. If you want to have your Currywurst just like it is in Berlin, I would go with Weis Wurst. However, any German or Polish Sausage will certainly work with this recipe as well. It’s all about the sauce, so the sausage you use can range from bratwurst, to kalbasa, and even a good old American hot dog. You could certainly use this sauce on a hot dog on a bun as well. Whatever sausage you choose, it will instantly be elevated to a new plateau of spiciness if you use this sauce.
Directions:
In a saucepan place the tomato sauce, tomato paste, vinegar, sugar, curry powder, black pepper, salt, paprika, onion powder, ground ginger and cayenne pepper, and mix evenly. Heat to a boil on medium to medium high heat, while continuously stirring. This should only take five or six minutes. When it comes to a boil, turn it down to very low heat and continue to let it simmer.
Meanwhile, in a frying pan, add the olive oil and proceed to brown the sausages on all sides. You can also grill the sausages over a barbecue, on a grill pan.
When the sausages are cooked and browned, and the sauce is hot, you are ready to roll! Using one or two sausages per serving, slice the sausages into round half inch pieces and arrange on plates. Ladle an ample amount of the curry sauce on top of them. Sprinkle additional curry powder on top of them, and you are ready to serve Currywurst at its finest.
As mentioned before, French fries, are the ultimate accompaniment for Currywurst. To complete the authentic German effect, serve with mayonnaise on the side for the fries as well. One bite of your own homemade Currywurst, and it’s every bit as good as ordering it on a street corner in Germany!
This nice and spicy sauce is so good that it could even be used as barbecue sauce on chicken, ribs, or even a hamburger.
Since this recipe is basically the same as making your own incredibly delicious spicy curried version of ketchup, you can keep this as a condiment in a jar or a covered pan for over a week, if refrigerated.