Post-pub schnellnosh neckfiller: Currywurst This week's foray into the wonderful world of post-pub nosh examines a street food classic from the undisputed masters of pig-in-a-tube products - the Germans. While Germany is famed for its wursts, it took a post-war fusion cuisine experiment to push the envelope of wobbly dining invention and create the legandary "currywurst …
It is always a a Bratwurst because they a fried, Bratwurst literally means "fried sausage" and isn't a specific sausage, but a category. Knackwurst wouldn't really come into this category. But within the "Bratwurst" category, there is a lot of leeway.
In the North, they tend to be pale fried sausage (as per the photos in the article), in the South they tend to be red sausages, with the option of pale if you want. Each region has its own version of what a typical Bratwurst should be and each Metzger (butcher) has his own recipe.
I prefer the Zigeuner Wurst, which is, again, a Bratwurst but this time a spicy paprika sauce. The traditional Bratwurst is also very good, you get it on a bit of cardboard and the end of the cardboard sheet is torn off and bent into a "U" form, so that you can hold the sausage while you eat it. It is served with a dollop of mustard and a slice of baguette.
Interestingly, given the German's penchant for sausage, the number one fast food over here is the Turkish Döner Kebap.
Likewise in Dresden, so maybe it's an eastern vs western Germany thing?
In addition I always like their habit of putting paprika on their chips, either in conjunction with a good Wurst or in fact with everything (with the curry sauce replaced by mayonnaise most times, unless the accompanying dish merited curry). Adds a certain something to the potato-based bit of the meal which goes down most satisfyingly.
Bugger, I'm hungry now and it's only 10:30am!
That they are pretty bland. Some regional variations are Vunderbar! but these are in the minority IMHO
The blandness means that some form of 'extra sauce' is needed. Hence the Currywurst and other variants.
The same applies to Sausages in the USA. Even blander than mass produced Wursts.
The best CurryWurst I ever had was from a small cafe just outside the Railway station in Hof. This was in the days before the Wall came down. Wonderful grub. Went back a few years later and the place had gone. bummer
Hmmmh, you must have been sausage from the packaged sausage aisle from a supermarket and missed the label that read "Hot Dogs." There are some truly excellent sausages made in the US ... chorizo, linguisca, polish, New Orleans style hot, ... It can be like be like trying to find a good chicken-fried steak, but with some real American exploratory zeal, you can find some very good "pig-in-a-tube," even in the US.
While this recipe looks nice (with a caveat that the sauce looks too thick) you can achieve a perfectly good result by boiling a Bockwurst or two and then serving with Curry Gewürz Ketchup, although in my opinion it has to be Hela brand and has to the the 'sharf' variety. Curry powder may be sprinkled on top for added zest. Fried onions & chips are optional.
We always try to have Currywurst at least once when we visit Germany. My favourite take-away was at the top end of Holstenstraße by the St Nikolai Kirche in Kiel which we'd visit every time we were in town but it shut a few years ago much to our dismay.
Another classic from around that part of the world is take-away Danish Rødpølse hotdogs with remoulade, tomato ketchup & crispy-fried onion. It has to be bought in Denmark. Don't be fooled by German vendors' attempts - they never match up. (My other half says it's because the authentic Danish sausages aren't allowed in Germany but she may just be biased.) The best we've found so far are from Klostertorvets Pølsevogn in Nykøbing, Mors in Jutland. We often have one, go shopping and then have another they're so good.
...and so far, the best. München Hauptbahnhof, a little stand inside by the street exit at track 23. Mrs. Nash and I got in late one night after a long drive, first night in the city and were famished. Found this stall and were drawn by the smell. Grilled Weisswurst run through their odd little hand cranked slicer and put in a paper tray with a skewer, sauce on top and an orange Fanta. Bliss.
After vacation was over, I was determined to recreate the sauce once we got back to the states and after a few tries we both agreed that this was pretty darn close. For those interested it's a very straightforward and simple recipe (on your own for metric conversions, sorry...):
8 fluid oz Heinz ketchup (Original)
2 tsp Onion powder (granulated)
2 tsp Hungarian Paprika
4 tsp curry powder (sweet or hot, your choice - we use McCormick's)
2 Tbl water - adjust for desired thickness
Add all to small pan and heat over low setting until thickened, then cover and let cool so the powdered ingredients can rehydrate. It should appear a bit grainy when complete. Use on various sausage-type things. We get a smallish squirt bottle of ketchup (that's how it comes over here) and use some, then make the sauce and pour it back into the bottle and refrigerate. Easy-squeezy.
And for those planning a night of inebriation:
1 - Grill and slice the wurst prior to going out, put in refrigerator
2 - Premake sauce and have at hand in a squirt bottle
3 - Go out
4 - Stagger home and put some portion of wurst on your plate
5 - Aim carefully and apply sauce
6 - Microwave (I know it's a cardinal sin, but you're drunk) around a minute or two at medium power
Enjoy.
Thank you!
All these recipes, delicious as they all are, they're all to friggin' complicated for post-pub nosh.
Well, they are for me...a few slice of cheese on a piece of bread, grilled, and hopefully not setting the house on fire, are as far as I can go post pub - and even finding the grill tends to be best out of three...
Once again...https://mitchbenn.bandcamp.com/track/make-yourself-a-sandwich
Here in Frankfurt/Main we have 'Rindswurst' - beef sausage. So if you order Currywurst here you'll be asked whether you want Bratwurst or Rindswurst. I prefer the beef variant because I like the taste.
And around Frankfurt we've got the 'Best Worscht In Town' Currywurst shops ('Worscht' is Frankfurt dialect for 'Wurst'). They have Currywurst (Brat- or Rindswurst) with HOT curry sauce from 2.400 to 1.200.000 scoville units.
Some time ago I had a dispute with a friend which kind of Rindswurst is the best. He said the original Gref-Völsing while I suggested the one from 'my' local butcher. So I challenged him to a 'worscht battle'. We and some other friends met at the Rhine shore near Gernsheim, grilled Rindswurst and ate it with home made curry sauce.
The 'worschd' from my local butcher won 9:1.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankfurter_Rindswurst <- about Rindswurst
http://www.gref-voelsings.de/ <- the original creator of Rindswurst
http://www.bestworschtintown.de/ <- Currywurst with HOT sauce
Ooooh, that reminds me. Have to drop in to Bestworscht while I'm here in Frankfurt for the week!
But as far as Bratwurst goes, there's nothing quite like "Original Thüringer Bratwurst" from a charcoal grill. Grill-Teufel in the middle of Jena is great. Since the wife is from there, I get to sample some everytime we go to visit her parents.
> What do you think you're meant to do with vinegar.
Well quite.
Actually, a touch of vinegar in mashed tuna is nice. As is vinegar on petits pois. And vinegar on proper fried potatoes.
The only acceptable form of consumable onion is picked. Likewise cabbage.
Can you tell I like vinegar? It's even good for blood sugar control with my diabetes!
"onion tree"
I haven't seen one of those for years. To be honest until I just looked it up I never realised the ariel bulbs were big enough to do anything with except use as setts.
My dad used to grow them as curiosities - I take it that where you are they are grown commercially?
The Currywurst described here is clearly prepared before any significant alcohol consumption occurred. The more common variant simply requires 1 or 2 fried sausages of dubious quality, a squirt of ketchup and a generous dose of curry powder over the top. It's a one-liner recipe that will succeed independent of your mental capabilities.
Likewise Austria. Anything maked as "heiss" in the Chinese restaurant barely qualified as a slight tingle.
However, my German collegues, when visiting the UK, would always insist on heading to the nearest Indian restaurant for the hottest curry they had..
So, the advice from SPB is to proceed with caution if using hot curry powder. So it was that I proceeded last night with reckless abandon instead and went for it.
Here's what happened:
1) As I added the spices to the pan my eyes began to sting almost immediately.
2) As the sauce mixture began to reduce to a paste consistency I realised the kitchen would never smell the same again.
3) After decanting the reduced mixture into a mixing bowl I began to attack with a hand blender.
4) About 10 seconds into the blending there was a popping sound, puff of smoke and smell of knackered electric motor as the curry sauce had destroyed the blender.
5) I had a go with a fork until I gave up and decided chunky Currywurst was OK really.
6) With the addition of some fried Bratwurst and some Spud Wedges I served up with a Pilsner.
Verdict: Use Hot Curry Powder. It was really, really good, Lester's just being a wuss. Bring a spare blender, though.
PicsOrItDidn'tHappen:
Sauce ingredients:
https://www.anony.ws/image/JJkO
Blender-killing sauce reduction:
https://www.anony.ws/image/JJkU
Curry, Sausage (sliced, of course) and Chips:
https://www.anony.ws/image/JJkp
It's a little-known fact that Volkswagen sell more currywursts than cars. Probably a lot more, now...
The problem is that without MSG / 'Spices' / E621 people seem to be conditioned by now to think that sausages (or any food for that matter) is tastes bland. It's all about the seasoning and freshness of the ingredients.
Am preparing sauces and other foods without that particular 'ingredient', whenever possible.
Dear Uncle Reg, pleeeeeease turn this into a physical cookbook one can go buy inna bookshop, and, while you're at it, see if you can interest Aunty Beeb on the idea of a cookery show based on this, simply because I'm so fed up with the curent fare served up on the subject of food on't telly.
The Currywurst may (or may not) have been invented in Berlin, but IMO the best ones are found in the Ruhrgebiet at any given Pommesbude, especially when it's near a football stadium. But you absolutely must have some mayonnaise on your chips, so its "Currywurst mit Pommes rot-weiß". Trust me on this.
For some advanced reading on the subject matter I can highly recommend Frank Goosen - a true expert who also has a way with words that leaves no question unanswered
http://www.deutschlandradiokultur.de/von-pommes-frauen-und-fussball-fans.950.de.html?dram:article_id=138372
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