Ah yes, Curry Ketchup. Just as you’d think, it’s curry flavoured ketchup mixed with several other spices and it’s pure wonderful in my book.
If you’ve ever spent any time in Germany, or maybe have some German friends, you’ve likely been introduced this yummy condiment. If you haven’t, well then, I’m about to teach you how to make a fairly quick version that you can try without investing in a whole bottle. I don’t know about you but I’m not a fan of having rarely used condiments hanging around in my fridge door, so I want to know if I’ll like it before I buy it.
I’m pretty sure that most everyone has a bottle of tomato ketchup on hand and it’s probably Heinz. I know we do. Over in Germany, having curry ketchup around is about as common and it’s usually the Hela brand. If anyone favours a brand besides Hela, please share it with me just because I’m always interested in knowing things like that.
I currently have two bottles of Hela Curry Gewürz (Spice) Ketchup in our fridge door. One is “scharf” (or spicy), and one is “delikat” (or mild).
I prefer the spicy one over the mild because it just carries more of a flavour kick. When it comes to liking heat, or hot spiciness, I’m pretty middle of the road. For me, the spicy version of curry ketchup carries only a little extra heat and a lot more flavour. I hope that makes sense. Basically, if you don’t like spicy food at all, go for mild if you think you’ll want a bottle. If you don’t mind a wee bit of heat, go for the spicy version. Or, if you’re like my husband, who likes at least 4 stars with his Thai food, you won’t be able to detect the extra heat at all, so it won’t really matter which one you get!
For years I’ve been meaning how to learn how to make ketchup from scratch so I know exactly what goes into it. When I finally do, I plan on making a more in depth post on how to make curry ketchup from scratch as well. For now, I’m going to use tomato ketchup as a base for a much quicker version. Besides, sometimes it’s nice know the shortcuts too, right?
Alright, let’s get this curry ketchup party started!
Quick Curry Ketchup
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of Tomato Ketchup
- 4 teaspoons of Curry Powder
- 2 teaspoons of Sweet Paprika
- 2 teaspoons of Worcestershire Sauce
- 2 teaspoons of Mild Honey
- 1 teaspoons of Chili Powder
- 1 teaspoon of Water
Variation:
Replace 1/2 teaspoon of Sweet Paprika with 1/2 teaspoon of Hot Paprika if you want some extra heat. Using a little cayenne pepper would likely work too but I didn’t test that.
Combining:
The absolute quickest way to make the curry ketchup is to just add some curry powder. Emily Han over at The Kitchn (a fantastic blog you should follow if you don’t already) gives us a great recipe that uses a ratio of 1 – 1 1/2 teaspoons of curry powder to 1/4 cup of ketchup. This works really well but I wanted to see if I could get it a little closer to the Hela version that I adore.
My way takes a tiny bit of extra work because there are more ingredients. After that, it’s about putting them all in a bowl and mixing really well.
Yup, that’s it!
You can use it right away but it tastes even better if you let it sit overnight in the fridge to give the flavours time to really meld.
This doesn’t end up being an exact copycat of Hela. I feel like it’s pretty close, if I do say so myself. It’s just not quite as sweet.
No photos of me mixing the ingredients this time because it’s all pretty simple and self explanatory.
Like I said above – just mix and let it rest for awhile.
There’s always going to be some variation in taste of this recipe depending on the type of curry powder, paprika and honey you use. If you just use regular the “everyday” brands you find at the grocery store for all, you’ll likely get something spot on to this.
Since I haven’t experimented with different kinds of curry powder yet, I feel like the most flavour variation can come from the honey. Use a mild honey, like Clover or Wildflower (preferably local, as it really is the best for you), to get a smooth sweetness without it imparting an earthy taste. I imagine any liquid kind of sweetener, like agave nectar or a sugar syrup, would work too.
Oh, and my favourite kind of paprika is a Hungarian brand called “Pride of Szeged”. Hungarians definitely know their paprika! You can find it at World Market, but I get it from the local Eastern European Delicatessen, called International Deli. Though, whatever you have in your pantry will work just fine. No need to get special paprika unless you really want to do so.
Are you maybe wondering how exactly you’d use curry ketchup?
Well, if you follow the suggestions on the Hela bottle, you can use it with meat, hot dogs, fish (I’m dubious about this one, heh), noodles, rice or use it as a marinade as well. For me, it works anywhere I’d use barbecue sauce (which is my favourite), since I’m not a huge tomato ketchup fan. So I use curry ketchup on my sausages, fries (especially sweet potato), burgers (veggie or meat) and even mac and cheese.
What’s you favourite way to use ketchup (curry or otherwise)?
As always,
Alles Liebe,
Diony
Quick Curry Ketchup
Ingredients
- 1 cup of Tomato Ketchup
- 4 teaspoons of Curry Powder
- 2 teaspoons of Sweet Paprika
- 2 teaspoons of Worchester Sauce
- 2 teaspoons of Mild Honey
- 1 teaspoons of Chili Powder
- 1 teaspoon of Water
Instructions
-
Simply put all the ingredients into a bowl and mix together very well. Let it rest overnight in the fridge to let the flavours meld.
Recipe Notes
Variation:
Replace 1/2 teaspoon of Sweet Paprika with 1/2 teaspoon of Hot Paprika if you want some extra heat.
Wonderful…now I can make my own curry ketchup…hurrah….
I was suddenly in a mood for some currywurst, like I always got in Berlin (especially at Knoppke’s). If we could travel now I’d buy a plane ticket. Well, I was all set to try out your recipe for Quick Curry Ketchup, and remembered how you raved about the Hela product. Out of curiosity, I looked for it on Amazon, and there it was choice of Sharf or Mild. For no more than I would pay for a similar product in a local grocery, I got a package of two 300 ml bottles of the sharp. It was delivered in two days, and I’m delighted. It really tastes like Berlin. I’m sure your recipe is fantastic, but hey, i’m a guy not into cooking and so happy to now know where to get the real thing! Thanks. I haven’t tasted yours but will give you five stars just for the recommendation.
Haha, excellent! Thank you. I’m so glad you like it the Hela curry ketchup. It really is as close as you can get without going to Berlin. Or, making it yourself, but I totally get that not everyone wants to do that!
Just made some to go with the carrot walnut veggie burgers I’m making for dinner tonight!! Yum!! Thanks!
Oh, yay! So glad. Also, carrot walnut veggie burgers sound delicious.
Excellent recipe. We love curry ketchup. Namely Zeissner over Hela. Harder to find than Hela, but better in my opinion.
Thanks, Steve! I’ve never heard of Zeissner curry ketchup. Now I need to hunt some down so I can try it out. Thanks for the info!
Not like the German style I used to buy but very good. I omitted the chill powder. I prefer no heat to my ketchup.
Thank you
You’re welcome, Daniela. I hope you enjoyed it without the chili powder.
Danke für das Rezept!
Ich wohne schon 2 Jahre in Deutschland und hab nur vor ein paar Wochen Curry Ketchup probiert, auf Pommes. Ich fand’s so lecker!
I tried your recipe this afternoon and ate it on sweet potato, white bean and whole wheat couscous patties served on romaine lettuce leaves. It was great! 😀
Liebe Grüße aus Hannover!
Bitte, bitte! Das freut mich zu hören. Those patties sounds delicious, by the way. Maybe you have a recipe to share? 😀
I have never tried curry ketchup and this looks yum ! Will definitely try making this. Thanks for sharing.
Danke fuer das rezept, ich lebe seit 14 jahren in Kanada und hin und wieder moechte man halt was curry ketchup.
not having much experience in curry, me and my girl wanted to try somethin a little different. so we made a half batch of this and instead of just honey, we split honey with agave sweetener and this stuff turned out awesome. never had curry ketchup before and now its planned to keep a jar in the fridge at all times.
I’m so glad you and your girl like the curry ketchup, Trey! Thanks for letting me know. Agave sweetener sounds like a great addition.
I have wanted to find a recipe as close to the real Curry ketchup as I could. I cannot wait to try it.. 😊
I hope it tastes just as it should for you!!
Zeisner curry ketchup. Ingredients. Tomato purée, distilled vinegar, sugar, apple purée, corn starch, salt, curry powder spices etc. Made in Bremen.
This is an excellent, simple recipe that came out very authentic and delicious!! I’d been looking for curry ketchup after having currywurst on my last trip to Germany. So I tried 2 different kinds from a local Dutch/Eoropean store but they just weren’t quite right!! This one is spot-on, exactly how I remember it tasting!! I made the first batch just like your recipe and it was awesome but the Chili gave it quite a kick, which I love, but some in my family do not so then the next batch I left the Chili out…..both versions are delicious!!
Made this to with sausages, had to use a little sugar as I had no honey. I thought it was great and my wife loved it.
I was stationed in Heidelberg Germany and I used to love currywurst and currywurst sauce fries, and wanted some of that sauce now since I’m back in the states (I’m jonesing) so i checked google for best currywurst sauce and saw the Hela curry sauce was recommended, and saw the reviews were pretty much stating the taste like sauce they had in Germany so i was about to purchase and all of a sudden I thought how about making your own, so i go to google and I see this easy version, make it and damn i’m back in Heidelberg ;-} thanks for this recipe.
This such an awesome compliment. Thank you, Drew! And, you’re welcome. 😊
Wow!
I forgot to restock the curry ketchup and I was lucky to find your recipe! Tastes not exactly like the original Hela, but I love it anyway.
Thank you so much for this recipe, the only curry ketchup I could find Stateside is Zeisner and it never had the same punch as what I remembered from Ramstein. Your recipe is much better and is wonderful on tater tots and French fries.
I’m so glad it works for you! Thanks for letting me know. We like it on French fries too. 🍟