All about this Curry Ketchup
I’ve always been a huge proponent of ketchup, applying it wherever feasible. I love curry ketchup because it offers a unique flavor profile to traditional ketchup. Even though it’s traditionally used for Currywurst, I find it goes great on fries, hot dogs, burgers, meatloaf, sausages, etc.
This sauce was born on the streets of Berlin during the postwar reconstruction period. Herta Heuwer combined ketchup and curry powder, both brought over by the British, and served it atop sausages. Hungry construction workers popularized the dish. Today it’s sold all over Germany in diners and street stands, commonly with french fries or bread rolls.
We learned about curry ketchup while touring Berlin in 2019. Currywurst makes for a great late night meal after drinking and wandering around Brandenburg gate at the Pariser Platz 🙂 The ketchup is easily found in most German grocery stores, we brought a bottle back with us after visiting.
A Quick and Easy Approach
The simple/quick way to make curry ketchup is to simply add some spices to regular ketchup. Combine 1 cup of store bought ketchup with around 3-4 teaspoons of curry powder, and 1-2 teaspoons of paprika. Start on the low end, mix well, and adjust the spice to your desired taste.
I prefer to make it from scratch. Since ketchup itself is spiced and sweetened, I find making this way allows good control of the overall flavor profile. Plus in the late summer I can use my own tomatoes.
You can always add or subtract spices to match your own desires.
I’ve previously made this quick version based on a recipe from thekitchenmaus.
How to Make Curry Ketchup
I abhor making more dirty dishes than needed, and for this recipe, we can mix the ingredients directly into the pot we’ll cook with.
Add the tomato puree, all the spices, the corn syrup, and worchestire sauce. Mix well. You can taste it at this point to get some indication of what the flavor will be, but after cooking and cooling you’ll find the taste has evolved.
Apply low heat and allow the mix to come to a slow simmer. Stir occasionally with the goal to avoid burning any ketchup at the bottom of the pan.
Once at a low simmer, allow it to simmer for 60 minutes. During this time, the flavors will start to mix together and the ketchup will lose water content and become thicker. Stir regularly to avoid burning. It might be a good time to do other kitchen activities while this cooks.
After an hour, take the ketchup off the heat. Once cool enough, package up and let rest in the fridge (we let ours rest overnight.) I actually saved and washed an old squirt bottle to fill with the ketchup.
Enjoy 🙂
Recipe for Curry Ketchup
Curry Ketchup
Equipment
- 1 Pot o
Ingredients
- 28 oz Tomato Puree (1 can)
- 4 Tsp Curry Powder (increase to 6 for stronger flavor)
- 2 Tsp Onion Powder
- 2 Tsp Garlic Powder
- 2 Tsp Paprika
- 1 Tsp Cayenne Powder (Increase/decrease to desired spice level)
- ½ Tsp Mustard Powder
- 2 Tsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 2 Tbsp Corn Syrup (or substitute 1.5 Tbsp brown sugar)
- ¼ Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- ½ Tsp Kosher Salt
Instructions
- Add the tomato puree, all the spices, the corn syrup, and worchestire sauce to a pot. Mix well.
- Apply low heat and allow the mix to come to a slow simmer. Stir occasionally with the goal to avoid burning any ketchup at the bottom of the pan.
- Once at a low simmer, allow it to simmer for 60 minutes. During this time, the flavors will start to mix together and the ketchup will lose water content and become thicker. Stir regularly to avoid burning.
- After an hour, take the ketchup off the heat. Once cool enough, package up and let rest in the fridge (we let ours rest overnight.)