Chip Shop Curry Sauce

One thing I really loved about living in the U.K. were the Chip Shops. There was one in almost every neighborhood, selling a variety of fast foods. Normally they will sell fish and chips (fries) of course, but they also sell quite a few other things.
They sell fish and chips, of course, but many also sell Kebabs (Very similar to a Donair), small meat pies, battered sausages, Savloy (a type of smoked sausage), burgers, and fried chicken as well as a variety of Chinese dishes (in some but not all).
Chip shops were also called Chippy's, and Takeaways. I really miss having such a thing here in Canada where I live. They were not restaurants per se. Normally you couldn't sit in them to eat, although a few did have tables. For the most part you ordered your food, paid for it, and then were expected to take it home to enjoy. Chip Shop Curry Sauce

And enjoy their food, I surely did. One of the first things I enjoyed in the U.K. from a chippy, of course, was fish and chips. I can remember when my husband brought it home, the piece of fish (Cod) was huge and hanging off the sides of my plate. The chips were fat and hot and redolent of malt vinegar and salt.
Both came to the house, wrapped up in paper and in tucked into a plastic bag. So incredibly delicious. A trip to the seaside always meant the treat of a "chippy meal."
(The photograph below is the local Chippy where I used to live in Chester.)
Lee's Chippy Chester

Occasionally we would just get an order of chips. I think we paid about 2 pounds for it (close to $4). It was always huge and easily fed the two of us with leftovers. I would often fry a couple eggs while my husband was picking them up and we would enjoy them with the fried eggs and slices of white bread and butter.
I had been living there several months before I experienced another delicious Chip Shop treat, "Curry Sauce". I had been to an afternoon activity in Rhyll (in Wales) with some ladies from church and they decided to stop at a chip shop on the way home after the activity.

I remember being asked, did I want Curry Sauce with my chips. Curry sauce? I had never heard of it. I said yes, please. I do like curry. This was to be my inauguration to another British favorite, Chip Shop Curry Sauce!
Its not exactly Chinese, nor is it even vaguely Indian. It is described as a Chinese Curry Sauce and it is like a meshing of the two cuisines. It is delicious! Especially with Chips!
Prepare to be amazed by a traditional British Chip shop favorite sauce! Not only is this incredibly tasty, but it is also very easy to make! I adapted this recipe from one which I found on Fuss Free Flavors. It is as close to the real deal as you can get, but probably a whole lot healthier!

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE CHIP SHOP CURRY SAUCE
Simple, ordinary every day ingredients. Spices, stock, a thickener. Simple.

1 tsp medium curry powder (or more to taste if desired)
1/2 tsp Chinese five spice mix
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp garlic powder (not salt)
4 tsp of cornstarch (corn flour)
1 TBS butter
2 tsp soy sauce (for gluten free use Tamari)
2 tsp chili sauce (I like Sriracha)
1 cup (240ml) vegetable stock
1 tsp fresh lemon juice

I used a medium strength curry powder. Curry powder comes in three strengths, and, you are free to use any one of them. It all depends on how strong you want the heat of this curry sauce to be.
Chinese Five Spice is a blend of five spices, Star Anise, Cinnamon, Pepper, Cloves and Fennel Seed, ground together. You can easily make your own. There is an excellent recipe here. It is also available as a ready made spice blend.
Make sure you use garlic powder and not salt. You won't need any salt in this recipe. To keep this gluten free, use cornstarch as a thickener and also use a gluten free soy sauce called Tamari.
You can use any chili sauce you like, but I used Sriracha sauce which is what I have in the cupboard. It has a lovely heat combined with a kick of garlic as well.
I used Better than Bullion Vegetable Stock concentrate to make my vegetable stock. You don't really need to use the lemon juice, but it does add a lovely je ne sais quois to the mix and just a touch of clean fresh tart flavor.

HOW TO MAKE CHIP SHOP CURRY SAUCE

This is a simple sauce to make. You do need to pay attention to it while it is cooking and keep on it so that it turns out smooth and lump free. It is deliciously worth the little effort it takes!

Whisk the cornstarch and all of the dry spices together in a bowl, combining well together.Whisk the stock, soy sauce, lemon juice and Sriracha sauce together.Melt the butter in a smallish sized saucepan. Add the cornstarch mixture. Cook, over medium low heat, stirring constantly, for one minute, until very fragrant.Slowly whisk in the liquid mixture, whisking constantly to combine. Increase the heat to medium.

Cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture comes to the boil and thickens. (Take care to scrape the sides and bottom of the pan.)

Reduce to low heat and simmer for several minutes.Serve hot with chips as a dip or drizzle over top of the chips. This is also good drizzled over pork or chicken.

This tasted exactly like the authentic chip shop curry sauce that I was used to in the U.K. If I closed my eyes I could almost have imagined that I was there. It was the perfect fakeaway!
It was delicious on top of my Air Fryer Chips. I am thinking it would also be great spooned over fish, pork or poultry.
Another thing I liked about it, is that it is all natural. There is nothing in it that I cannot pronounce. Naturally gluten free and vegetarian friendly as well!

I really miss having a local chip shop here in Canada. If you are too and are wanting to recreate the experience at home, you might also enjoy the following delicious recipes!

NORTHWEST CHICKEN PARMO - If you are lucky enough to have lived in the North West of England a Chicken Parmo will be something you are familiar with. It is not for the faint of heart, but is incredibly delicious. A chicken breast is pounded out thin, then breaded and fried until it is crisp and golden brown on the outside and juicy tender inside. A bechamel sauce is slathered over top, and plenty of grated cheddar cheese, before popping it under the grill until everything is bubbling hot and unctuously delicious. Served usually in a piazza box, this is a fabulous once in a blue moon treat!

SPAM FRITTERS - Yes, you read that right and they are delicious. The tinned luncheon meat Spam is thickly sliced, dipped into a tasty batter and then deep fried until golden brown and crisp coated. You can also shallow fry it in a skillet with the same tasty results. Don't knock it until you try it!

Yield: 2 servingsAuthor: Marie Rayner