Curry Wurst are the ubiquitous street food of Berlin, Germany. If you are unfamiliar with Curry Wurst, here are some things to know: 1) they are pan-fried or griddled bratwurst, 2) there is no curry in the bratwurst, 3) the sauce was created by an industrious wurst vendor at her street kiosk in post-WW II Berlin using American (tomato ketchup) and British (Madras curry powder) air-dropped food supplies, 4) neither tomato ketchup nor Madras curry powder were consumed or likely even heard of in Berlin at that time. Curry Wurst were taken to heart by Berliners and have remained as their favorite street food ever since and are enjoyed throughout Germany today.
Curry Wurst are normally eaten as just the bratwurst and sauce in Germany, though sides are available. We thought we’d serve ours on pretzel rolls, which work great and add another German food favorite to the dish. Easy and quick to make, yummy and a little bit messy, prepare some Curry Wurst at your home and enjoy!
Prep Time: 5 minutes, Total Time: 35 minutes. Yields 4 Curry Wurst.
Support Cook and Eat at Home. Purchase a PDF of the Curry Wurst recipe for $1.00
Ingredients:
- 4 Tbs Cooking Oil
- 1/3 cup finely minced Onion
- 1 Garlic clove, finely minced
- 1 ½ Tbs Madras Curry Powder
- ½ tsp Cayenne Pepper (more if you like it hotter)
- 1 ½ cups Tomato Ketchup
- ¼ cup Water
- 4 good quality Bratwurst
- 4 Pretzel Rolls (optional)
Preparation:
- Mince the onion and garlic and set aside.
- In a heavy-bottomed 1-quart saucepan over a medium-high heat, heat 3 tablespoons of cooking oil until shimmering.
- Add the onion and garlic to the saucepan, cover and sauté over a medium heat until the onion has softened and is golden.
- Add the curry powder and cayenne pepper to the saucepan, stir and sauté, uncovered, for 1 minute for the seasonings’ flavors to bloom.
- Add the tomato ketchup and water to the saucepan, stir, cover and cook over a medium-low heat for 10 minutes.
- Remove the sauce from the heat, keep covered and warm.
- In a wide frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of cooking oil over a medium-high heat.
- When the oil is shimmering, prick the bratwurst a few times with a fork, place into the pan, cover and brown on all sides. Use a meat thermometer to test the internal temperature; at 165 F, the bratwurst are done.
- Plate the cooked bratwurst (German-style) or in pretzel rolls (American-style), dress with the sauce. Serve Curry Wurst immediately with extra sauce on the side.
