Currywurst

Name: Currywurst
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: german
Ingredients: 4 tablespoons olive oil; 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped; 1 1/2 tablespoons light brown sugar; 1 tablespoon mild curry powder, plus more for sprinkling; 1 teaspoon ground sweet paprika; 1 (2-inch) cinnamon stick; 1 small dried chile de árbol; 2 tablespoons tomato paste; 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes with their juices; 3/4 cup vegetable stock; 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar; Kosher salt, to taste; 6 to 8 fresh bratwurst sausages, knockwurst sausages or hot dogs; 1 tablespoon neutral oil, such as canola or vegetable; French fries, for serving (optional)

Recipe from Alfons Schuhbeck

Adapted by Alexa Weibel

Total Time: 30 minutes
Rating: 4(365)
Comments: Read comments

Created in postwar Berlin in 1949, currywurst originated as a “poor man’s steak,” cobbled together using sausages, canned tomatoes and curry powder. Today, it’s a popular street food across Germany, although how you enjoy it depends on the vendor and your preferences: The sausages can be served with or without skin, and you can request your currywurst sauce to be scharf (hot) or even extra-scharf. In traditional German currywurst sauces, tomatoes and vinegar provide acidity, sugar or juice lend sweetness and mild curry powder adds spice (although some adventurous cooks add other aromatics and spices, like mustard powder, hot chile or even lemongrass). This recipe, adapted from Alfons Schuhbeck's “The German Cookbook” (Phaidon, 2018), is a great introduction, not too spiced or too sweet, and can be customized according to taste. —Alexa Weibel

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

For the Curry Sauce

4tablespoons olive oil
1small yellow onion, finely chopped
1½tablespoons light brown sugar
1tablespoon mild curry powder, plus more for sprinkling
1teaspoon ground sweet paprika
1(2-inch) cinnamon stick
1small dried chile de árbol
2tablespoons tomato paste
1(14-ounce) can diced tomatoes with their juices
¾cup vegetable stock
2tablespoons apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
Kosher salt, to taste

For the Sausages

6 to 8fresh bratwurst sausages, knockwurst sausages or hot dogs
1tablespoon neutral oil, such as canola or vegetable
French fries, for serving (optional)

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Prepare the currywurst ketchup: In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium. Add the onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the brown sugar and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is caramelized, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon curry powder, paprika, cinnamon and chile and cook until just fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the tomato paste, then add the chopped tomatoes and their juices, stock and vinegar. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 10 to 15 minutes.
Step 2
Discard the cinnamon stick and chile de arbol, then transfer tomato mixture to a blender and purée until smooth. Blend in the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil in a steady stream. Season to taste with salt. (This makes about 2 cups of sauce.)
Step 3
Meanwhile, using the tines of a fork, lightly poke a few holes in the skin of the sausages on all sides to allow air to escape as the sausages cook. Heat the neutral oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sausages and pan-fry, rotating until lightly browned on all sides, about 8 to 10 minutes, depending on what type of sausage you select. Let rest for 5 minutes.
Step 4
Slice the sausages on an angle into thick coins, if desired, and divide the sausages among the plates. Transfer the curry sauce to a squeeze bottle and drizzle on top of the sausages (alternately, you can simply drizzle the curry sauce on top using a spoon). Sprinkle with additional curry powder, if desired, and serve with French fries.

Ratings

4 out of 5

365 user ratings

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Comments

Joy Pinto-Kamath5 years ago

I had no idea this was a German dish! My Indian mother used to make this when we got back from a weekend fishing trip. She'd take 12 chicken weiners - in 1" bits, 1 med. onion diced, 4oz ketchup, 1oz sriracha, 1tbsp madras curry powder, and saute everything in 2tbsp oil. Then she'd add 2cups water and boil everything down to 1 cup of sauce. This was delicious with vegetable rice or wholewheat naan and salad, which were readied in the meantime. We've been relishing this dish for half a century!!

dorothy wiese5 years ago

Ate this a lot when we were stationed in West Berlin during the mid 1970s. Nothing will beat eating this from a Schenell Imbis with a cold beer.

Aegidi Grill Bottrop9 months ago

Please, please, PLEASE, do yourself a favor and get the Bavarian brats from Trader Joe’s (imported from Germany) because Currywurst needs the most German tasting sausage you can get. The West German Version from the Ruhr valley is way more straightforward: In a medium sauce pan mix Heinz ketchup with water to the consistency of tomato sauce, add a table spoon or so of good quality standard store-bought curry powder until the sauce doesn’t taste like ketchup anymore but don’t overdo the curry. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer a little. In the meantime, pan fry your wursts, the cut them into half ich rounds, dump into the sauce and stir until evenly covered with curry ketchup. Serve with potato fries and little dollop of mayonnaise on the side. Guten Appetit!

Charley8 months ago

Tangy, tasty tomato sauce

editrix8 months ago

My curry powder was a bit old and faded, so I ended up using about 2.5 tablespoons, plus a bit more vinegar than the recipe calls for and a half teaspoon of salt. I deeply browned Impossible bratwurst and served with the curry ketchup, oven fries, and a salad. Very tasty; I might try it alongside some roasted cabbage wedges next time.

Clio8 months ago

Many Germans just put ketchup and sprinkled curry powder. Fast, easy imbiss like.

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