Durng the weekend (and deep in the Shropshires) I meet a Welsh woman.  She directs me to the chip shop.  She offhandedly recommended the ‘irish curry sauce’

‘The what?

‘Yes, Irish curry sauce’

I have to go there.  Arriving at said chippy I ask what is the difference between regular chip shop curry sauce and ‘Irish’ curry sauce.  (Still not sure it isn’t some kind of in-joke to which I’m out)?

Chips shop lady holds up a ‘wait’ finger while giving me her best ‘ you haven’t tried anything yet’ twinkle of the eye, before ladling a small dollop of golden-brown sauce into a styro-cup.  She then takes the tongs and gently places a few freshly-cooked chips in there and presents to me for tasting.

I immediately order a large.

Chips will never be the same. Hard to describe.  It’s gravy + Brumladeshi + Chinglish curries, masterfully blended into one.  Ye gods.  Ye very gods.   I’ll never order that weird green-brown jelly with raisins AKA ‘British’ chip-shop curry sauce’ again.  Was never convinced tbh, so rarely did, usually ordered a curry sauce from neighbouring Chinese takeaway.

PS There’s neither enough chips or sauce unless you ration carefully to the end. It’s an art.

Just salt thanks.

Cheese.

The answer is always cheese.

Irish curry…….. sure you didn’t just have chips n gravy?

Tomato ketchup.

the chilli sauce at the bristol students union burger bar in mid 80’s, so good!

the chilli sauce at the bristol students union burger bar in mid 80’s, so good!

Useless!  Unless…

Great SCOTT!

Your description of “Irish Curry Sauce” sounds exactly like bog-standard chip shop curry sauce.

No idea what the hell this is; “weird green-brown jelly with raisins AKA ‘British’ chip-shop curry sauce’”.

Irish curry…….. sure you didn’t just have chips n gravy?

Nope it’s just chip shop curry sauce by a different name.

Does it contain Organic Leprechauns?

There isn’t many places to get chips and curry sauce here… But ever heard of chicken salt? Chicken salt and white vinegar go on chips here. Apparently chicken salt is a thing. I googled it. I didn’t google how it’s made however.

My lad chose cheese and gravy much to Mrs ws horror at a festival last weekend. It was proper good!

Balds Lane chippy in lye, fish,  battered chips with Irish curry sauce over the top is absolutely spot on.

Butter is the accompaniment of choice for all potato product. Lots of salt and vinegar is an acceptable 2nd for Chips with soy sauce in a close 3rd. Anything else is madness.

Does it contain Organic Leprechauns?

Not a one.  Unless ‘Monosodium Glutamate’ is code for powdered artisanal mythical small-folk

Drac, the regular British curry sauce has no garlic.  Curry sauce without garlic is every bit as rubbish as curry with sultanas.  I also reckon the Irish one has heaps more MSG for a total taste-bud tickling 😬

A little digging found:

British (standard):

Cornflour, Sugar, Wheat Flour*, Modified Starch, Beef Suet (Beef Fat, Wheat Flour*), Salt, Textured Soya Protein, Spices (Celery, Coriander, Cumin, Fennel, Fenugreek, Ginger, Mustard, Pepper, Pimento, Red Chilli Pepper, Turmeric), Dried Onion, Sultanas, Hydrolysed Vegetable Protein, Tomato Paste, Flavour Enhancer (E621), Anticaking Agent (E341(iii))

Irish:

Ingredients:
Sugar, Wheatflour, Onion Powder, Spices (including Mustard), Salt, Palm Oil, Tomato Powder, Flavour Enhancer (E621), Yeast Extract (Sait), Sunflower Oil, Tomato Paste, Rice Flour, Colours (E100, E160c), Garlic Powder, Chilli Powder (Spices, Salt, Herb, Garlic), Herb

Interesting that the regular one isn’t veggie.  This knowledge will delight those sociopaths who always enjoyed surreptitiously slipping some meat to unsuspecting vegetarians.

Maybe it’s a Shropshire thing. Living in The Shire, I’m used to having normal chip shop curry sauce and Irish curry sauce on the chippy menus. Irish is darker and a lot more “MSG”, stronger sweet and spicy flavours. Very, very moreish.

No idea what the hell this is; “weird green-brown jelly with raisins AKA ‘British’ chip-shop curry sauce’”.

‘Hell’ is the word.

No idea what the hell this is; “weird green-brown jelly with raisins AKA ‘British’ chip-shop curry sauce’”.

Nope never seen that either.

^^ that pile looks like the variant my local Chinese Take Away produces after about 1030 on a Friday/Saturday evening..

I Can recommend this one, its definitely irish and I know the family who own it https://www.sainsburys.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/gb/groceries/dragon-curry-sauce-200g

The Mayflower brand curry sauce is pretty good also.

surreptitiously slipping some meat to unsuspecting vegetarians.

ooh err missus

That photo from Malvern Rider looks exactly like the stuff I used to put down my shirt late on a Saturday night. Oh and yes I too have seen “weird green-brown jelly with raisins”.

Sounds good, can I recommend German curry ketchup on your bratwurst as an accompaniment?

British chip shop curry lumpysnot

To complete the trio here are Irish curry sauce (L) and gravy (R)

Roll on Friday 🤤

Sounds good, can I recommend German curry ketchup on your bratwurst

as an accompaniment?

I beg your pardon?  Oh go on then.

Nope never seen one look like that top one.

B & M curry sauce is pretty impressive.

lumpysnot

Aside, I’ve always wondered – does anyone know what the ‘bits’ are in that variant of curry sauce?  Common at places like Blackpool, I’m hoping it’s chopped garlic but it’s always given me the fear lightly.

Nope never seen one look like that top one.

Lucky.  And/or posh 😉

Cougar – read upthread for ingredients.  Lumpy bits are textured soya protein, sultanas, and dried onion.

No garlic.  Basically a sub-‘Vesta’ variant yet without the noodles.  Maybe it’s a West Midlands thing, it’s still the most common I see in Midlands chip-shops and has been since the 1980s.  Bring in the Irish.

I found a Chippy forum (!) where they discuss slowly changing the ratio towards an Irish blend so as to improve things.  Clever!  Like secretly watering down whisky by degrees, only backwards.

https://www.chippychat.co.uk/forums/topic/dinaclass-irish-curry-sauce/

Maybe it’s a West Midlands thing, it’s still the most common I see in Midlands chip-shops and has been since the 1980s.

Must be up here it’s smooth looking and the colour of korma.

Recipes seem to vary too some with apple for sweetness.

Oh and Simon Favourites is an Australian food blogger just to add the confusion.

Irish curry sauce is the bomb, Skewen fish bar has the best.

Mayo and ketchup on chips.

Brown/curry sauce indeed. What kind of crazy is that?

A trip back to the wife’s place in Castlewellan isn’t complete without a trip to Zebedee’s for a Curry Chip, though a Chicken Supreme (basically chips and curry sauce with chicken….) is a good choice…

MTB trails aren’t bad either………

Never got curry sauce with chips. If you want curry go get a curry. Similar with going to the Chinese and asking for chips (and getting curry sauce there too).

Aside from salt & vinegar (onion being better), just ketchup. That’s it.

Aside from salt & vinegar (onion being better), just ketchup. That’s it.

(Pickled) onion vinegar?  Agree.

If you want curry go get a curry. Similar with going to the Chinese and asking for chips (and getting curry sauce there too).

Slippery slope to food fundamentalism innit.  Similar thing with ketchup.  If you want tomatoes then get tomatoes.  If you want sugar then shake some on.   Ketchup wrecks chips just the same 😉

Irish curry – for taste and culinary anarchy!

But ever heard of chicken salt?

Recently visiting Australia, I happened across this abomination. They served the fish and chips with it all over the chips by default (a bit like MacDonald’s and their pre-salting of chips). The first couple of mouthfuls were quite nice but then it started to make me feel sick because it was so sickly sweet in an odd way. The next time we had fish and chips I had to ask for them without.

And the correct answer is salt and vinegar anyway. Happy to have a *side* portion of mushy peas too – but not just blathered all over the top of the chips.

^^ that pile looks like the variant my cat produces after about 1030 on a Friday/Saturday evening..

ftfy

Cougar – read upthread for ingredients.  Lumpy bits are textured soya protein, sultanas, and dried onion.

Ain’t no sultanas in the stuff I’m thinking of.  (And whoTF ever thought it was a good idea to put fruit in curry anyway?)

(And whoTF ever thought it was a good idea to put fruit in curry anyway?)

There are quite a few recipes for peach curry about, quite nice veg option if you fancy it. And amchoor (powdered mango) is a fairly normal ingredient, too. So to answer your question: Indians did.  And the Thai. Probably other countries too.

Ain’t no sultanas in the stuff I’m thinking of.

Or me I’ve no idea where this exists except cheap 1970s curries from supermarkets. No chip shop curry sauce I’ve seen or had has ever contained sultanas

Mogrim sort of has a point there are a lot of curries that use fruit, pickled limes but I’m not sure amchoor powder is the same it tends to be a very small amount.

Our local Chinese does a lovely pot of curry sauce. £2 a pot mind.

Lovely poured over a chicken or beef fried rice 🙂