Chip Shop Curry Sauce
Here’s how to make a classic chip shop curry sauce at home! This curry sauce is mildly spiced & goes great with a big bowl of chips.
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If curry sauce is a regular addition to your fish & chip shop order then you’re going to love this homemade version of the takeaway classic!
If you’ve never had chip shop curry sauce, you’re seriously missing out! As far as I’m aware it tends to be Uk chip shops that serve curry sauce with battered fish & chips & I know that sounds pretty weird but trust me, it’s delicious. This stuff’s mildly spiced, slightly sweet & fantastic when poured over a bowl of crispy chips.
For more sides & sauces, take a look at our ever growing collection of side dish recipes! There’s lots to choose from here, from homemade chips, barbecue sauces, cornbread, slaws & loads more…
Ingredient Notes
- Veggies – We’re making our curry sauce base with onions, carrots & garlic.
- Apple – Adding a Granny Smith to our curry sauce adds a touch of sweetness & fruitiness, to cut through the spice.
- Curry Powder – Chip shop curry sauce tends to be mildly spiced, so we’re using a mild curry powder. Feel free to use a hotter curry powder if you’d prefer though! You’ll need some Garam Masala as well, which can be found in most supermarkets.
- Chicken Stock – I like to use chicken stock in my curry sauces, as it has a deeper flavour. Veg stock will work as well though.
- Malt Vinegar – This adds some acidity that cuts through the spice in the curry sauce. Malt vinegar is what you’d find in almost every chip shop so it makes sense to use it!
- Soy Sauce – This seasons our curry sauce & balances out the other flavours. I tend to use Kikoman soy sauce, which is somewhere between light & dark. Alternatively, I’d use dark soy sauce.
- Mango Chutney – I like to finish my curry sauces with a generous spoonful of mango chutney. This gives the sauce a touch of sweetness & fruitiness that works fantastically with the spices.
- Cornflour – Used to thicken the curry sauce.
- Butter – This gives our curry sauce richness & a glossy finish.
How To Make Chip Shop Curry Sauce
The full, printable recipe card for this curry sauce can be found at the bottom of this post! Here’s a quick rundown of the recipe…
- Cook Veg Base
First, we cook chopped onions & carrots in butter until they start to soften & brown then we add in sliced garlic & a chopped apple then continue cooking until the apples are starting to soften as well. This whole process will take around 10-15 minutes. - Add Spices & Tomato Paste
Next, we add in curry powder, Garam Masala, turmeric & chilli powder, cook out for a minute or two then stir in tomato paste & cook out briefly. - Add Stock & Simmer
Now we pour warm chicken stock (or veg stock) & malt vinegar into the veg, bring to a gentle simmer then cook for 20-30 minutes, until the veg is soft & the stock has reduced by around 50%. - Blend Smooth
Once cooked, we add soy sauce into the sauce, blend smooth using a jug blender (or a stick blender) then pass back into the pan, through a sieve. We set the sauce back over a medium heat then bring back up to a simmer. - Thicken
Next, we mix cornflour & cold water together to make a paste then stir into the sauce. We then cook the curry sauce out for 3-4 minutes, to thicken. - To Finish
To finish our curry sauce, we stir in mango chutney & butter then season to taste with salt.
Frequently Asked Questions
Chip shop curry sauce tends to be more mildly spiced compared to Chinese curry sauce & a touch sweeter & fruitier. Chinese curry sauce tend to be more heavily spiced & aromatic. However both go great with chips!
To make a smooth, lump free chip shop curry sauce, we simply blend the sauce in a jug blender then pass it through a sieve. If you’d prefer a chunky curry sauce, you can skip this step.
Yes, chip shop curry sauce can be made both vegetarian & vegan by using veg stock instead of chicken & a vegan butter instead of regular. Make sure to double check that your soy sauce & mango chutney are vegan friendly as well.
Chip shop curry sauce is best served with chips (homemade is best!) but it works great with anything else that you’d find in a fish & chip shop. Whether it’s with battered fish, smoked sausage, scampi or fish cakes!
The best way to reheat chip shop curry sauce is to warm it up in a pan on the stove or in a microwave. If the sauce is too thick (it thickens in the fridge) then you can add in a splash of water to thin it out.
To make chip shop curry sauce on an Aga, use the simmering plate to cook the curry sauce then move over to the boiling plate to thicken.
Equipment Used
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More Sides & Sauces To Try!
- Garlic Butter
- Caramelised Onions
- Courgette Tzatziki
- Rice Krispie Fried Mozzarella Sticks With Hot Honey
- Cherry Cola Whiskey BBQ Sauce
- Cheesy Buttermilk Skillet Cornbread
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Chip Shop Curry Sauce
Equipment
- Large Saucepan
- Jug/Stick Blender
- Sieve
Ingredients
Curry Sauce
- 1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 50 g Butter
- 2 Medium White Onions (Or 1 Large – Peeled & Chopped Into 3cm Chunks)
- 2 Carrots (Peeled & Chopped Into 3cm Chunks)
- 3 Garlic Cloves (Thinly Sliced)
- 1 Granny Smith Apple (Chopped Into 3cm Chunks – Don't Peel!)
- 2 tsp Mild Curry Powder (See Notes)
- 2 tsp Garam Masala
- 1 tsp Turmeric
- ¼ tsp Chilli Powder
- 1 tbsp Tomato Puree
- 750 ml Chicken Stock (Or Veg Stock)
- 1 tsp Malt Vinegar
- 2 tsp Soy Sauce
To Thicken
- 2 tbsp Cornflour
- 2 tbsp Cold Water
To Finish
- 50 g Mango Chutney
- 20 g Butter
Instructions
Curry Sauce
- Set a large saucepan over a medium heat then add in the veg oil & butter. Once the butter has melted, add in the onions, carrots & a pinch of salt then cook, stirring regularly for 5-10 minutes, until the veg is starting to soften & brown nicely.
- Next, add in the garlic & apple then cook for another minute or two, stirring frequently until the apple starts to soften.
- Add the curry powder, garam masala, turmeric & chilli powder to the veg, cook out for a minute then stir in the tomato paste & cook out for another minute.
- Pour the chicken stock & vinegar into the veg then turn the heat down slightly. Simmer gently for 20-30 minutes, until the veg is soft & the stock has reduced by about half.
- Stir the soy sauce into the curry sauce then transfer to a jug blender & blend smooth.A stick blender will also work!
To Thicken
- Pass the sauce back into the saucepan through a sieve, set back over a medium heat then bring to a gentle simmer.
- In the meantime, add the cornflour & water into a bowl & mix together to make a paste. Stir this into the curry sauce then cook out for 3-4 minutes, until thickened.If you like your curry sauce a little thicker, use more cornflour!
To Finish
- Stir the mango chutney & butter into the curry sauce then once the butter's melted, season with salt, to taste. Serve immediately!
