Currywurst is a popular German street food that is so easy to make at home with a simple homemade curry ketchup.
Here I am at last, emerging from a fog of chemo and surgery to bring you a brand new recipe! I am feeling SO much better and my hair and eyebrows are even coming back.
However, I am still pretty fatigued and also adding radiation to my schedule every weekday is making my schedule feel a little crammed. So, although I would usually enjoying spending my entire day in the kitchen, lately I need all the easy 30 minute meals I can get.
So, the other day, when I saw these knackwurst sausages were back at Aldi, I knew exactly what to do.
.png)
What is Currywurst?
Currywurst is a popular street food in Germany. It consists of fried up sausages covered in a curry ketchup and usually served with french fries and a dollop of mayonnaise. Usually the sausages are cup up before serving and are served in paper trays with little disposable cocktail forks. And of course, you can usually get a good German beer at these street stands to enjoy with your sausages. The stands are found on almost every corner of Berlin. We would often enjoy one under the train station on our way home. Not a bad replacement for American fast food burgers.
What is the history of currywurst?
It's said that currywurst was invented in West Berlin in 1949 by a woman
named Herta Heuwer. She got the ingredients for the sauce from British
soldiers who were stationed in Berlin, invented the famous curry
ketchup, and started serving it over sausages at a stand that served
many workers who were rebuilding the war-torn city. Soon currywurst stands started popping up all over Berlin. It's estimated that 800 million currywursts are eaten every year in Germany!.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
These are my only photos of currywurst from when we lived in Berlin (almost a decade ago now!). This was when my sister came to visit. Ah, good times.
What is "darm" on currywurst?
There are two ways to order currywurst: with darm or without darm. Darm is the casing of the sausages. Traditionally all sausage casing is made with animal intestines. Are they still today? Well, to be honest, I'm too scared to look it up. Some things are best enjoyed in ignorance. Either way, I do leave the casing on my sausages for this recipe. 
How do you make homemade currywurst ketchup?
I use a regular store bought ketchup as the base for this recipe. The ingredients are so simple:
Ketchup
Chopped onion
A couple tablespoons of oil
Curry powder
Water
That's it! I just saute the onions and then simmer everything together for a bit before pureeing with an immersion blender.
What sausage should you use to make currywurst?
The Knackwurst at Aldi is the best sausage I have found for this recipe. Any German sausage will do though. Sometimes Whole Foods will have German sausages too. I don't find that American brats (like Johnsonville) really cut it for this recipe.
I believe the knackwursts at Aldi are seasonal, so I stock up whenever I see them to keep them in the freezer!
Why is mayonnaise served with currywurst?
You may be surprised to see a huge dollop of mayo on top of the fries here. I just think this is hilarious because I grew up eating mayo and ketchup mixed together with fries and on burgers. Turns out it must have been my German roots, because Germans LOVE mayo on fries. It's such a good combo with the currywurst, and often the ketchup AND mayo are homemade at the currywurst stands in Berlin.
What supplies will you need to make currywurst?
The only equipment I would say is necessary for this recipe is some type of blender to blend the onions into the ketchup. I love my immersion blender for this, but any blender or food processor will work!
It also makes it feel more fun if you have disposable trays and mini disposable forks for serving (and makes cleanup easier, of course!). But you can certainly eat this with plates and forks as fancy as you choose.
What do you serve with currywurst?
Make sure you serve your currywurst with fries and mayo. A salad is also a common side for currywurst (try my candied pecan berry salad for something special!). My authentic German pretzel recipe would also go amazingly with currywurst!
Beer is often available at currywurst stands as well as a variety of different types of pop and juice. "Apfelschorle" is another common drink that is just apple juice mixed with sparkling water!
I hope you enjoy this currywurst as much as we (and millions of Germans) do. It is a sweet memory of our young married life together in Berlin, and we love sharing it with our 6 kids now, ten years later. Someday I would love to take them all back there and show them our old stomping grounds, but for now I am content with my copycat recipe.
0 COMMENTS :
Post a Comment