South African curried sausages

These curried sausages are pure comfort food. Succulent sausages are simmered in a rich onion and curry gravy with carrots and peas, then served over creamy mashed potatoes. It's a quick and easy weeknight meal, and any leftover curry sauce can be frozen to make your next batch of curried sausages even quicker.

Bangers and mash has long been one of Britain's favourite comfort foods, and this one-pan sausages and gravy recipe gives them a delicious South African twist. Meaty sausages are browned until golden, then simmered in a rich South African-inspired curry gravy and served over creamy mashed potatoes.

This old-fashioned curried sausages recipe has been a family favourite for years. I first started making it when we lived in South Africa, where it became one of those reliable weeknight dinners that everyone enjoyed. I'd always make plenty of the gravy, and any leftovers were never wasted. We'd freeze it ready for another batch of sausages, or serve it alongside a weekend braai (barbeque).

This isn't a blow-your-head-off hot curry (although you can up the heat by frying some chillies with the onions); it's more of a mild aromatic curry that lets the flavours of the sausages shine through. I used my homemade curry powder blend, but you could use your favourite shop-bought blend instead.

There are lots of onions in the sauce, along with plenty of carrots and peas, so apart from making a quick pan of mashed potatoes or popping a dish of rice into the microwave (see my recipe for microwave rice), this is a complete meal in one pan.

Why I love this recipe

• Made with everyday ingredients - apart from the curry powder, but you could make that in advance and store it in the pantry (it keeps for ages), or simply buy a box of curry powder from the supermarket.
• Mildly spiced. The curry gravy is warming and flavourful without being overly hot, making it suitable for the entire family to enjoy.
• One pan meal. Apart from the mashed potatoes, everything cooks in one frying pan.
• Budget-friendly. Or how to turn a few sausages into a hearty family meal!
• Cook once - eat twice. Keep leftover gravy in your freezer and simply brown another batch of sausages for another meal.
• Ready in around 30 minutes. Ideal for busy week nights.

Ingredients for curried sausages

**This is just an overview to explain why I used a particular ingredient. The complete list of ingredients and the exact measurements are on the printable recipe card at the end of this post.**

• Sausages. Because of the curry flavour in the gravy, I would be inclined to choose a plain meaty sausage. In the UK, Cumberland or Lincolnshire sausages are mildly spiced so the flavours won't clash with the curry. In South Africa, this sauce is perfect for serving over boerewors. Other countries - I can't really advise - just choose your favourite. I would suggest, however, that you buy good-quality, meaty sausages; no sauce is going to improve the taste of a poor-quality sausage. You can use your choice of either beef or pork sausages.
• Oil. This is normal vegetable oil, and it's used for frying the sausages and softening the onions. I like to use rapeseed oil, but you could use sunflower oil or even olive oil if you prefer.
• Onions. Lots of them - I used 3 medium-sized ones, but you could use even more if you wanted to. They should be peeled and thinly sliced.
• Carrots and peas. These are the vegetables that go into the curry sauce. The carrots should be peeled and sliced into rings. You can use fresh peas and add them at the same time as the carrots, or use frozen peas and throw them in at the last minute just to warm them through.
• Stock cubes. I used 2 Oxo beef stock cubes. They are more for flavour than for thickening the gravy. The stock cubes should be dissolved in 2 cups of boiling water. Use chicken or even vegetable stock cubes if you prefer.
• Curry powder. Use your favourite brand of store-bought curry powder, or try my homemade curry powder which I used in this recipe. If using my curry powder, you will need one level tablespoon per cup of liquid.
• Tomato puree or tomato paste. This is highly concentrated tomatoes (not be be confused with tomato ketchup). It adds a slight tomato flavour to the curry sauce.
• Chutney. No South African curry recipe would be complete without a dollop of good old Mrs Balls Chutney. If you can't get hold of Mrs Balls, use any fruity chutney instead. My green tomato chutney is particularly good.
• Worcestershire sauce. Adds a slightly salty, savoury flavour to the sauce.

Not pictured

• Salt. Cook the dish first, then taste and add salt before serving if necessary. The Worcestershire sauce may add sufficient seasoning.
• Flour. The flour is added just before the stock, and is used to thicken the gravy.

How to make South African curried sausages

Step 1: Heat the oil in a frying pan over moderate heat, and brown the sausages lightly on all sides. Use a pair of tongs if necessary to help you hold the sausages in place. Remove the sausages to a plate, leaving the oil in the pan.

Step 2: Add the onions to the same pan, stir them to coat them with the oil, and leave them to soften for a few minutes. You can cover them with a lid to speed things up a bit.

Step 3: Stir the curry powder into the onions and continue to fry (still on moderate heat) for a further minute to give the curry powder time to release its aroma.

Step 4: Stir in the Worcestershire sauce and tomato puree.

Step 5: Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the flour, taking care to remove any lumps.

Step 6: Add the stock, chutney and carrots, cover the pan with a lid, and return to the stove. Turn the heat to a strong simmer and leave for 5 minutes.

Step 7: Add the sausages back to the pan and continue to simmer, still covered, for a further 10 minutes.

Step 8: Finally, stir in the peas and allow them to heat through before serving. Taste for seasoning and add salt if necessary.

Serving suggestions

Curried sausages can be served on a bed of mashed potatoes, or rice, with plenty of the delicious curry gravy poured over the top.

This is actually a meal in itself, but for a more substantial meal, add a crisp green salad and/or slices of crusty bread on the side.

Foodle Club top tips

Follow these handy tips to ensure your curried sausages always turn out perfectly:

• When browning the sausages, don't cook them fully. It's sufficient just to get some colour on the outside of the sausages; they will finish cooking while they are simmering in the sauce.
• Cover the onions to soften them. We're not looking to brown the onions, so keep the heat quite low. Covering them with a lid will help them soften faster. It shouldn't take longer than 5 minutes for the onions to soften and turn translucent; give them the occasional stir to prevent them from burning.
• Allow the curry powder to bloom. After stirring the curry powder into the onions, cook it gently for about a minute. This allows the spices to bloom, releasing their flavours and aromas and giving the curry gravy a deeper, richer taste.
• Remove the pan from the heat before stirring in the flour. This helps prevent the flour from burning and allows you to mix it into the onion mixture and remove any lumps.
• Simmer the carrots in the stock for a few minutes. The reason we do this is to give the carrots time to soften slightly before we add the sausages. It allows the carrots and sausages to finish cooking at the same time.
• Thicken the gravy if necessary. The gravy should have thickened sufficiently. If it hasn't, you can do one of 2 things.
  • Remove the pan lid for the final 5 minutes to allow excess liquid to evaporate; OR
  • Stir in a slurry of 2 teaspoons of cornflour(cornstarch) combined with 2 tablespoons of cold water until the gravy has thickened to your liking. You may not need all the cornflour mixture.

The main piece of equipment you will need is a frying pan. I would advise you to make sure your frying pan is large enough to hold all the sausages and the curry sauce (including the carrots and peas). If it's too small, you're going to get curry sauce all over your stovetop.

The frying pan should have a lid. I find that if I cover the onions with a lid while they are cooking, they soften much faster.

Storage

• Leftover sausages can be stored in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. They make a lovely breakfast sandwich when layered between two slices of toast.l I like to add a smear of tomato ketchup, but that's just my uneducated palate.
• Leftover curry sauce (gravy) can be frozen or up to 3 months. It's a great standby to keep in the freezer for those times you want to make curried sausages but can't be bothered to make the gravy.
• Defrosting. Let the sauce defrost in the refrigerator. If you are in a hurry, you could put the frozen sauce into a frying pan and heat it on a very low heat for 10 to 15 minutes until the sauce has completely defrosted. Then you just have to add the browned sausages and let them simmer in the sauce for 10 minutes or so until they are completely cooked through. Instant meal!

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