Homemade chip shop curry sauce

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An easy homemade version of proper British chip shop curry sauce! Perfect served on fat, British-style chips.

Homemade chip shop curry sauce

Before anyone feels the need to point it out to me: I’m under no illusions. I know what this stuff looks like.

Anyone who says that chip shop curry sauce is attractive is literally just plain wrong.

However, I also know what this stuff tastes like, i.e. nectar of the gods. I bet Thor is drinking curry sauce as we speak. Which is why I’m posting this recipe despite its somewhat… questionable appearance.

Homemade chip shop curry sauce

What is chip shop curry sauce?

If you’re not British, I’m not sure whether you’ll have come across this style of curry sauce before. Here in the UK, you’ll find it in near enough every fish and chip shop. And you get a fish and chip shop on just about every third street… so that’s a lot of curry sauce.

Don’t be fooled by the word ‘curry’ – there’s nothing remotely Indian about chip shop curry sauce. Don’t go thinking this is some Indian delight… it’s not exactly meant to be gourmet. This is the sort of thing you might eat while you’re stumbling home after a night at the pub.

Or, you know, on a Friday night in front of the telly.

Homemade chip shop curry sauce

How to make homemade chip shop curry sauce

If you ever fancy making your own curry sauce, it’s actually really easy.

To make the sauce, start by cooking up some onion, garlic and apple (I know, it’s weird, but it totally works). Then add some flour, stock, and of course your curry powder.

And that’s literally it. We’re not exactly fussy, us Brits.

Homemade chip shop curry sauce

How to serve British curry sauce

All that’s left to do is pour the sauce over your chips, and dig in.

Of course you’ll need a big batch of fat British-style chips (none of this thin French fry nonsense). I made my own, but you may well decide to go for frozen ones. They kind of fit the theme here so no shame.

You should preferably eat your chips and curry sauce with a plastic fork, or one of those wooden ones with only two prongs (what’s with those, by the way? Utterly useless. It’s like trying to eat with a stick).

Homemade chip shop curry sauce

Homemade chip shop curry sauce

An easy homemade version of proper British chip shop curry sauce! Perfect served on fat, British-style chips.

If you’ve cooked this recipe, don’t forget to leave a star rating!

4.96 from 66 votes
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Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 3 people
Calories: 92kcal
Author: Becca Heyes

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 1/2 onion, finely diced
  • 1 apple, peeled and finely diced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/2 tsp curry powder
  • 1 tbsp plain flour
  • 150 ml vegetable stock
  • Black pepper

Instructions

  • Heat the oil in a deep frying pan, and add the onion, apple and garlic. Cook over a low heat for 5-10 minutes, until everything is very soft. Add the curry powder and flour, and mix well. Then pour over the stock and add plenty of black pepper.
  • Bring to a gentle simmer, and cook for around 10 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes, until the mixture is thick and the vegetables have cooked right down.
  • Your sauce will probably be quite chunky, so if you’d prefer a smoother sauce, just give it a quick blitz with an immersion blender. This will thicken it up a bit too. I half-blended mine, so it was quite thick, but there was still some texture.
  • Serve on fat chips.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Homemade chip shop curry sauce
Amount Per Serving (1 portion)
Calories 92 Calories from Fat 41
% Daily Value*
Fat 4.6g7%
Saturated Fat 0.6g3%
Cholesterol 0mg0%
Sodium 1mg0%
Potassium 39mg1%
Carbohydrates 12.7g4%
Fiber 2.3g9%
Sugar 6.5g7%
Protein 0.8g2%
Calcium 10mg1%
Iron 0.4mg2%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on your exact ingredients. Please calculate your own nutritional values if you require accuracy for health reasons.

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Nutrition Facts
Homemade chip shop curry sauce
Amount Per Serving (1 portion)
Calories 92 Calories from Fat 41
% Daily Value*
Fat 4.6g7%
Saturated Fat 0.6g3%
Cholesterol 0mg0%
Sodium 1mg0%
Potassium 39mg1%
Carbohydrates 12.7g4%
Fiber 2.3g9%
Sugar 6.5g7%
Protein 0.8g2%
Calcium 10mg1%
Iron 0.4mg2%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Note: Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on exactly what ingredients you choose. Information above is for 1/3 of the recipe.

Homemade chip shop curry sauce

If you’d like to try another British classic, why not go for my vegetarian sausage hotpot:

Vegetarian sausage hotpot

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134 Comments

  1. Awsome recipe. I’ve tried many but this is the best. I can burn water but this has become my Saturday evening signature dish with fish and chips. The apples are inspired.

  2. Easy to make and delicious!
    Just like the chippy!
    I’ve sent this recipe to my relatives in Canada and Spain, they all miss a chippy! Thanks 😊 5 stars

  3. Awesome curry sauce, I was shown this by my dad after telling him how nice a curry sauce from a chippy near me (Oldham) it was called Irish curry. He told me to try this and it’s exactly the same this is the second batch I have made now and I used apples the first time I used apple sauce and probably not enough of it was still nice but this second lot is much better. I made the recipe *5 and added a pinch of ginger, cayenne chilli pepper, ground cumin and some oregano it’s very good. Better than every chippy curry I’ve ever had probably on par with the Irish one but that was the best I’d ever had most chippys near me are Chinese and I have never had something like this from one of them.

  4. hi sally,

    love your blog it so good!` m` XD
    i was wondering if you ever yuse this sauce as an curry sauce f or a curry rather than just chip? XD
    please let me knoew, love your blog
    sooo
    much.
    keep up the good work !!

  5. I was struggling to find a reasonably good recipe for this, and your recipe always helped me to nail it. Once I made it too sweet because of the sweetness of the apple, but next time I used only 1 apple and 2 onions. I also blended it to a fine gravy consistency and reduced to a rich flavoured curry. This curry sauce is pretty much the same that goes with Japanese Katsu. The only thing which is slightly related to Indian is the curry powder. The masala is mostly corriander based. As an Indian, and curry fanatic, I think this curry is one of most delightful curries I have ever had. Thanks to you and person who thought about the combination of chips and curry sauce.

  6. This is a great base to make the classic chip shop curry sauce. It does IMO need more “oomph” for a classic chippy, so I added three teaspoons of curry powder, a teaspoon of Cayenne, a teaspoon paprika and a teaspoon of peanut butter. Chip shop curry is also a lot saltier so I added both salt and a splash of light soy sauce. Thanks!

  7. OH, MY GOD!!! I am ecstatic to find your site & this recipe. I lived in England in Oxford & Manchester for a couple of years after I finished college and fell in love with the curry gravy. Could never find any around home or a good recipe either until now… I am putting the ingredients on my shopping list right away!!!!

  8. I’ve recently stumbled upon your site and found this recipe. It is amazing. I’ve made it four times now, I always add more curry powder but that’s just taste. I’ve also added cayenne or fiery chilli, added extra apple and changed the apples I use. I now have to make double so my Dad can have some too! It’s so much better than the local chippy. Thank you.

  9. I did the lot,followed the recipe, plus honey,a few chilli flakes dash white wine vinegar, then a quick hand blend

    Just wait for the chips to cook

    Brill