To add insult to injury, the curry sauce supply was disrupted again in 2015, owing to port disruptions in the US. It was a sign to ration our tubs.
But the great sauce famine was averted once more in 2016 with bottles (yes, bottles) of limited edition take-home curry sauce.
ARE THERE CURRY SAUCE RECIPES OUT THERE TO TRY?
Fast-forward to 2024 and this time, the impending change is to reduce wastage. I get it. Which Singaporean household doesn’t have a fridge door spilling with sauce packets, including tubs of curry sauce? More is more and you can’t tell a Singaporean not to take the sauce.
Those able and capable of recreating the beloved brown dip took matters into their own hands (see recipes below). Food blogger Dr Leslie Tay posted one in 2016, which he said “is pretty darn close” to the real deal. Former radio DJ Cheryl Miles not only shared her curry sauce recipe (“which I dare say is even better than the real thing”), she’d also included a healthier “McNuggets” recipe.
I haven’t tried their recipes but I do know that different people have different expectations. Some like it creamier, browner or less sweet; others just want to complain no matter what you put in front of them.
But the question remains: Is it possible to replicate exactly McDonald’s curry sauce? Lush Epicurean’s Eric Low, a chef specialising in food R&D, said yes but with caveats (he also has a recipe below). “We have to be realistic about the differences expected,” he said.
And that’s because we’re using off-the-shelf ingredients, not “industrial” ones. “McDonalds curry sauce is an OEM product manufactured with ingredients that home cooks aren’t able to purchase or have access to,” said Low, referring to emulsifiers, modified starches, thickening gums and stabilisers for taste, texture and to keep the sauce stable.
“The type of starch or thickeners used determines the mouthfeel and viscosity of the sauce. Caramel powder or soya sauce may be added to give depth of colour.”
Of course, at the heart of it all is the curry powder mix. “Usually, there are about 10 to 13 spices in a recipe for curry powder. The amount of each spice used will determine the curry characteristic of the sauce,” said Low. “The spice mix is a confidential proprietary secret, so it won’t be so easy to match closely.”
But you might just be able to get away with the ready-made Japanese curry roux in a pinch – like Dr Tay’s recipe. “The fastest way would be to randomly pick a curry sauce from the shelf, add some creamer or coconut milk, water and thicken with either corn or tapioca starches,” said Low.
If that’s too much effort to muster for a sauce, at least the ketchup and garlic chilli sauce are still free. For now.
