Better-Than Chip Shop Curry Sauce - naturally Gluten Free

Craving a really, REALLY good curry sauce to have with your chips?

Then, as the cliche goes - look no further! This is based on the flavours of one of the tastiest curry sauces I've had in recent years with fish and chips, at The Fish and The Chip in Leicester which does a fairly priced and very tasty plate of gluten free fish and chips at lunchtimes, should you be looking for anywhere coeliac-friendly!

Curry sauce is by nature, not the most photogenic of condiments, however what it lacks in aesthetic appeal, it certainly makes up for in flavour, and it's not at all complicated to make, and you've probably already got most of the ingredients to hand - so do give this a go! Plus, you can freeze it in portions for the next time you need some with your (fish and) chips! And of course, I've got a delicious and easy recipe for gluten free battered fish, that you can make in a frying pan!

I took my daughter there, after numerous questions about preparation and cross-contamination, as she's very cautious about where she eats, and we all really enjoyed it. So, of course, I set about recreating the delicious battered fish and curry sauce at home, so we could enjoy it more often, living some distance away. And, of course, it would be selfish to keep all this yumminess to ourselves, so as ever, I'm sharing the recipes with you, because everyone should be able to eat good and tasty food - especially when they're limited by ingredients!

Anyway, I hope you enjoy, this should give you a good six to eight servings (obviously depending on how much you like to pour over your chips if you're not a 'dipper') - and do leave me a comment if you enjoyed this recipe.

Calories - 446 calories for the whole batch (excluding adding butter), therefore 56 calories for an eighth portion (approximately 75-100ml).

Ingredients
[Calories in square brackets]

• 2 medium onions (brown), roughly diced [82]
• 1 tbsp oil (neutral tasting, e.g. sunflower) [124]
• 4 garlic cloves, grated/crushed [24]
• 1 inch ginger root, grated [4]
• 2 tbsp medium curry powder / madras powder, or to taste (I used Schwartz for this, as gluten free. Use mild if you prefer!) [42]
• 1 tsp ground turmeric [7]
• 450ml hot water with 1 chicken stock cube added (I use the Knorr chicken stock concentrate in a bottle, 1 tbsp) - or use vegetable for vegetarians [23]
• 1 tbsp tomato puree [15]
• 1 eating apple [53]
• 2 tbsp cornflour [72]
• Optional knob of butter, for added decadence (leave out if cooking dairy free)! [111 calories for 15g if using]
• Optional salt to taste

Method

1. Fry onions in oil until softened and turning golden brown - up to around 10 minutes, stir to avoid burning. The deeper golden brown they are, the more flavour they'll add - but don't go black and burnt, or they'll taste bitter!

2. Add ginger and garlic, stir for a minute or so then stir in spices for a minute, until fragrant, then add stock.

3. Add tomato puree, peel apple, then coarsely grate into sauce. Simmer for about 10 minutes.

4. Make a thin paste with the cornflour, then add to simmering liquid, stirring whilst adding and cook out for a minute or two until thickened.

5. Blend until fairly smooth with a hand blender (off the heat), or in a food processor.

6. Add butter if using, and whisk in. Taste sauce, and add salt if desired, to taste. Enjoy! Want to make my gluten free battered fish in a delicious lemon and parsley crispy batter? You don't even need a deep fat fryer, you can make it in a normal shallow frying pan! See here for my recipe.