How To Make Chinese Curry Sauce
Do you love chips and curry and have you ever wondered how the famous Chinese curry sauce is made? This homemade recipe will teach you how to make the delicious, thick, and velvety sauce you can slather on your chips anytime you fancy.
Who needs takeaway curry when you can make it at home in under 10 minutes all by yourself.
Chinese curry sauce recipe
This British curry is a hybrid of Indian curry and Chinese curry, thanks to the simple and pantry staple ingredients, curry powder, and Chinese 5 spice seasoning. That is it, the secret is out of the bag! Yes, these two ingredients are what give the sauce its distinctive taste. Boy, is it delicious, and sinfully good? YES, IT IS!!!
Today you will learn how to make Chinese curry sauce from scratch and it is simple to make too. No, we aren’t opening any jarred sauce to make this. Trust me, you will love it!
Chinese chips and curry sauce are like 5 and 6 here in the UK and if you are a fan then this recipe is for you. That said, you can also use the sauce as a stir fry base, or serve with egg fried rice, noodles like this vegetable chow mein or salt and pepper chips.
It is amazing how easy it is to make your own Chinese curry sauce at home, I hope you give this a try and tell me what you think. If you are not up for the task of making it from scratch, then buy jarred or canned versions but I promise that this tastes better than either of these.
Why you need to make Chinese curry sauce from scratch at home
- It is easy and fast, it literally takes 10 minutes tops to make it, it is literally the best and flavor gravy without dripping you can ever make.
- It is cheaper to make your own sauce at home, while curry sauce is cheap from your takeaway, most times, you do not know how it was made or the condition it was in when it was made, you”ll never know should the sauce be 3 days old or more.
- Homemade Chinese curry sauce tastes way better than anything you would buy from your local takeaway, no doubt about it
- It is healthier because you know everything that goes into the sauce is healthy and good for you. More importantly, You can control what goes into the sauce, no hidden ingredients or preservatives
- It is vegetarian and vegan! It can be made gluten free if you substitute the all-purpose flour for a gluten free one.
Ingredients
Low sodium chicken stock (I made this using vegetarian stock cubes with water)
All-purpose flour
Cornstarch
Curry powder
Chinese 5 spice seasoning
Olive oil
Dark soy sauce
Salt
How to make Chinese curry sauce
Heat olive oil on medium heat and once it is hot and shimmering, stir in the flour with a whisk, continue to stir for another 30 seconds.
slowly and gradually add chicken stock to the cooked flour and whisk to make a smooth sauce.
Add curry powder, Chinese 5 spices, and whisk to combine then stir in the soy sauce. Cook for another 2 to 3 minutes or until it no longer tastes floury.
Make a slurry with the cornstarch and water and add it to the sauce to thicken it. Taste and adjust seasoning to taste. At this point, you can add salt or cayenne pepper if you desire.
Cook the curry sauce on medium heat for another 2 to 3 minutes, take it off the heat and serve immediately with chips or as desired. Enjoy!
Watch how to make it
What to serve with curry sauce
The question should be what can you not serve with Chinese curry sauce, you can honestly serve the sauce with and over anything. The first and the most popular are chips (all types and versions) and rice.
Tips
- Keep your hair covered when making Chinese curry sauce to avoid it catching the smell. Yes, you will smell like your takeaway when you are done making the sauce, but you get used to it.
- Avoid adding too much water to thin out your sauce because the sauce is meant to be thick but still runny. Remember, the sauce will continue to thicken as it sits, however, if you’d prefer it thinner then add water accordingly.
How to store
Chinese curry sauce can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days under the right temperature in an airtight container or a freezer-safe bag.
Freeze for up to 3 months in an airtight container or Ziploc bag.
Leave to thaw in the fridge overnight or reheat from frozen.
More Fakeaway recipes
Ground beef stir fry
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How To Make Chinese Curry Sauce
Equipment
- saucepan
Ingredients
- 2 cups low sodium chicken stock I made this using vegetarian stock cubes and water
- 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon Cornstarch use with about 2 Tablespoons of water to make slurry
- 2 teaspoons curry powder
- 1 teaspoon Chinese 5 spice seasoning
- 1 Tablespoon Olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon Dark soy sauce
- Salt to taste optional
Instructions
- Heat olive oil on medium heat and once it is hot and shimmering, stir in the flour with a whisk, continue to stir for another 30 seconds.
- Slowly and gradually add chicken stock to the cooked flour and whisk to make a smooth sauce.
- Add curry powder, Chinese 5 spice seasoning, and whisk to combine then stir in the soy sauce. Cook for another 2 to 3 minutes or until the sauce no longer tastes floury.
- Make a slurry with the cornstarch and water and add it to the sauce to thicken it. Taste and adjust seasoning accordingly. At this point, you can add salt or cayenne pepper for more heat if you desire.
- Cook the curry sauce on medium heat for another 2 to 3 minutes, take it off the heat and serve immediately with chips or as desired. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional data: Please note that the nutrition label provided is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. It will vary based on the specific ingredients and brands you use. Under no circumstances will thedinnerbite.com be responsible for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information.
Hi Ajoke, i have just made this and apparently it’s the best Curry sauce ever! I had no Cornflour so used less water, many thanks.
Yay! thank you so much Phillip for the feedback. I am so glad you enjoyed it.
My go to dinner when I’m in on my own is chinese curry sauce and chips but had ran out of shop bought powder curry sauce. Had all the ingredients so thought I’d give it a go. Game changer no more shop bought for me as loved it!
Hi, how many ml would be the equivalent to your 3cups of chicken stock
Many thanks
Claire
Hello Claire. It depends where you are reading from but a cup in the UK is 250ml and about 230ml in the US. I hope that answers your question. Thank you
Great recipe!
Just a note to anyone else making this gluten free, you not only need to sub the flour for gf but also the soy sauce!
Thank you Lydia on the tip, yes, the soy sauce should be substituted with coconut aminos or other alternatives to be gluten free. I am glad you enjoyed the recipe. Thank you for the feedback.
Ajoke just had to let you know your chinese curry sauce is to die for.Thanks for the recipe
Yay! thank you so much Roseleen. I am glad you love it. Happy New Year to you!
Hi Ajoke. I’ve been searching for a good recipe for this sauce. I have a bit of a rookie question. What is the ratio of stock cube to water when you make the stock?
Hello Lev. Most stock cubes will make about 500 ml of stock but you can always adjust this to taste.
Can I use GF flour?
Yes, you can use gluten free flour.
Im an ex chip shop owner now living in Canada, this tastes just like the ‘chinese’ curry we used to sell. Well done! FYI I added a half tablespoon of sugar it gave it a bit of sweetness. But thats just my taste. Well done!
Wow! your comment just made my day. Yass!!! Thanks for the tip, I shall be trying it ASAP.
absolutely gorgeous 😃.
I drink curry sauce like soup and am always trying different curry sauce recipes but this is the best thank you.
What kind of curry did you use?
I used hot curry powder
For my tastes I had to double the amount of curry powder but that it all. Great to know how to make this and so easy.
I am glad you love this recipe, Jonathan and thank you for taking out the time to feedback.
Gorgeous and really easy. Had it over rice and vegan chicken nuggets, takeaway for pence, thank you.
Thank you, Claire, I am so glad you enjoyed it.
It turned out just great. Please send me more sauce recipes.
thank you so much for this!!! Instead of buying from someone who looks at me with disdain and charges top dollar for something that cost a fraction of the price to make, I can do this myself and enjoy it.
My pleasure, I am glad you found the recipe helpful.
This may be a silly question, which curry powder did you use. There is quite a range in my local Sainsbury and Tesco ?
Only made this curry sauce as my regular jar of sauce was out of stock in my online shop. It tastes absolutely amazing, and had all the ingredients sitting in the cupboard! Will not be buying ready made again, thank you.
Hello Denise, thank you for your feedback, I am glad you love the recipe.
Yipeee! A recipe that actually tastes like you said it would. So so pleased, will definitely be using this again. Thanks.
I am happy you enjoyed your curry sauce, thank you for the feedback!