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Chip Shop Curry Sauce

4 from 2 votes

Chip shop curry sauce is a beloved British condiment. It's mild, slightly sweet, and has a savory curry flavour that's perfect drizzled over fresh chips from the chippie (of course).

Written By Brad Archer

Updated:

What’s In Chip Shop Curry Sauce?

  • 50g Butter, or olive oil
  • 1 Onion, sliced
  • 4 Garlic Cloves, minced
  • 5cm Piece of Ginger, grated
  • 3tbsp Curry Powder
  • 1tsp Turmeric
  • 3tbsp Red Wine Vinegar, or white wine vinegar
  • 500ml Chicken Stock, or vegetable stock
  • 2tbsp Cornflour

How to Make Chip Shop Curry Sauce

Step 1: Melt the butter in a large saucepan or skillet over medium heat and then add in your sliced onions. Cook them for 10 minutes or so until they have fully softened and released lots of their sweetness. Keep stirring them so none of the onion burns to the bottom of the pan.

You can then add in your minced garlic and grated ginger, cooking it for a few minutes. The garlic will burn super easily so keep stirring it. You just want to take some of the bite out of it.

Step 2: Add your curry powder and turmeric to the pan and give it a stir to coat the onion mixture in the spices. Cook it for just a minute to cook it out slightly.

Step 3: Pour the vinegar and stock into the pan. Bring it up to a boil, and then turn the heat down to a gentle simmer. Allow it to simmer away for around 30 minutes.

Adding red wine vinegar to onions in a skillet

Step 4: Mix the cornflour with a tbsp water in a small bowl to create a cornflour slurry, then pour this into the pan and turn it up to high heat. This will help to thicken up your sauce.

If you add the cornflour directly into the pan, it will clump up and not work to thicken the sauce so make sure you mix it with a little water before pouring it into the pan.

Pouring cornflour slurry into chip shop curry sauce base

Step 5: Turn the heat off when the sauce has thickened slightly, and then either tip it into a blender or use a stick blender to create your thickened, silky sauce. I prefer a smooth curry sauce, and it tends to coat chips better.

Give it a taste and adjust accordingly with a bit of salt or a teaspoon of lemon juice.

Blending curry sauce

How to Store

Fridge

Allow the curry sauce to cool completely. Transfer it to an air-tight container and store it in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Freezer

Pour the curry sauce into the slots of an ice cube tray, then freeze. Once solid, store the cubes in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months.

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Chip Shop Curry Sauce Recipe

Chip Shop Curry Sauce Recipe

4 from 2 votes
Course: SidesCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Medium
Servings

8

servings
Prep time

20

minutes
Cooking time

1

hour 
Total time

1

hour 

20

minutes

This is how to make the iconic British condiment, chip shop curry sauce

Ingredients

  • 50 g 50 Butter

  • 1 1 Onion, Sliced

  • 4 4 Garlic Cloves

  • 5 cm 5 Piece of Ginger

  • 3 tbsp 3 Curry Powder

  • 1 tsp 1 Turmeric

  • 3 tbsp 3 Red Wine Vinegar

  • 500 ml 500 Chicken Stock

  • 2 tbsp 2 Cornflour

Directions

  • In a large pan over a low heat, melt the butter before adding in the sliced onions. After 10 minutes, grate in the garlic and ginger and continue to cook for a further 5 minutes. Keep the heat low as you don’t want anything to burn at all.
  • Once the onions are soft, stir in the curry powder and turmeric, giving the pan a quick toss to coat everything in the spices.
  • Add in the vinegar and chicken stock, then bring to the boil. Turn the heat back down and simmer for 30 minutes, giving it a regular stir.
  • Combine the cornflour with a little water, then pour this into the sauce. This will help to thicken it up. Continue to simmer for 5 minutes.
  • Pour the contents of the pan into a blender and then blitz until smooth. You want a velvety smooth sauce for your chips.

Recipe Video

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