Learn how to make your very own multipurpose Caribbean curry sauce from scratch. This island style sauce can be added to meat, poultry, seafood, vegan dishes or even served as a side dipping sauce.
**Recipe Disclaimer**
This sauce does not replace or override the traditional way that Caribbean curry dishes are made.
This is a recipe that I made on a whim, it is NOT traditional, Caribbean people make curry dishes from scratch and not from a pre-made bottled sauce.
The whole concept of this sauce is to use ingredients that are used by most Caribbean islands, in the form of a sauce aimed at busy people and for convenience.
About the recipe
In the Caribbean curry plays a very BIG role, from Trinidad and Tobago to Jamaica, Barbados and Grenada.
These are just A FEW islands that cook curry dishes but as a collective it is an island staple.
However, pre-made curry sauce is more of a British thing. Go into any supermarket, restaurants, pubs or a chip shop and you are guaranteed to see curry sauce.
In the UK curry sauce is used as a base for most curry dishes, you will normally find it stored in jars or a container of some sort.
The main reason for this is for convenience and accessibility. It is a lot quicker to use a jar of curry to make a chicken dinner especially when you are cooking for a large number of people.
Plus the results will be the same so it makes perfect sense to keep a jar or two to hand.
Even though in the Caribbean curry dishes are made from scratch, I am fully aware that people more than ever lead busy lifestyles.
Sometimes you want to make your favourite dish from scratch but don't have the time nor are you in the mood to be in the kitchen prepping after a long day at work.
This is where my Caribbean curry sauce will come in handy because it is designed to be a simple heat up and stir in recipe.
You get the same Caribbean experience with the abundance of flavoursome blend of spices straight from a jar.
This is a vegan curry sauce recipe, making it suitable for all dietary types that can be used multipurpose.
This sauce is great for people who
- Are on the go i.e busy moms/dads, workaholics, people who hate to cook.
- Love Caribbean curries but don't have the time to make them/or want to.
- Like to plan ahead
- Meal prep
- Like to mop up curry sauce with Gluten Free Naan Bread or Roti.
- Want to try something that is new or different
The sauce is thick, aromatic and fragrant, I purposely made it dense so you can tailor it to your needs, it is not a paste but a thick sauce.
For instance, you might want to use it as a dipping sauce or maybe for a meat/vegan based dinner.
Texture wise, you can keep it chunky and not blend it or go for a more smooth pureed texture which is what I highly recommend.
The steps
- On medium heat in a medium sized frying pan/skillet, add the olive oil and proceed to saute the onion, scallion, garlic and ginger until soft and translucent.
- Add the red bell pepper, carrots and chopped tomatoes, continue to cook for a few minutes while stirring.
- Stir in the herbs and spices - curry powder, all purpose seasoning, black pepper, all spice, thyme, chadon beni and paprika.
- Continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes until the spices/herbs have fully incorporated.
- Pour in the coconut milk, creamed coconut and add the desired amount of scotch bonnet that you want for heat.
- Bring the mixture to a rolling boil then reduce the heat to low/medium with the lid on.
- Allow the mixture to simmer for 20 minutes, checking periodically and stirring.
- After the given time, allow the mixture to slightly cool, remove the scotch bonnet if necessary before transferring it to the blender (you may need to do this in batches).
- Puree the curry sauce into a smooth consistency.
- Do a taste test and add pink salt to taste along with any additional seasoning.
- Allow the curry sauce to completely cool down before pouring into a sauce jar (if you are freezing it, your container will need to be freezer friendly.
An example of me using my homemade curry sauce
- I started by cleaning the meat first and foremost (I'm using 2lb of boneless chicken thighs)
- Then I seasoned the meat with all purpose seasoning (I used a few tablespoons)
- Once seasoned, I left the meat to marinate for about an hour (you can leave it for longer if you wish).
- Sauteed one small onion along with 4 garlic cloves (minced) in olive oil.
- Seared the chicken on medium heat, this took about 10-15 minutes to seal the meat and cook off the excess liquid.
- Added the curry sauce (I used about ¾ cup-1cup).
- Allowed it to heat through while stirring, I added a splash of water, I didn't add too much as I wanted the sauce to be thick.
- Then let the sauce coat the meat and simmer for about 10 minutes, you will want to do a taste test, the curry should take the flavour of the sauce.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, you want the base ingredients - garlic, onion, scallions to cook first so they can release their flavour.
I definitely wouldn't recommend just adding everything to a skillet/frying pan or this may compromise the overall taste.
I wouldn't recommend using the sauce without pureeing it first. For optimal taste, I recommend pureeing the sauce for better taste and texture.
This depends on what you are using it for, if it is for a meat based dish then cooking your vegetables first i.e onion, garlic, ginger, scallion, tomatoes and then brown your meat FIRST then add your curry sauce.
If you are using it as a dip, then serve the amount you need as part of a side dish.
I wouldn't recommend doing this, for optimal taste the meat should be seasoned and seared first then use the sauce.
Yes, it is best to thin out the sauce when you need to use it NOT before because you run the risk of diluting the taste.
It is better to thin out the sauce as you are cooking with it so you have a much better control as per recipe in terms of how much water to use.
Note and tips
- Be sure to heat the curry sauce through first before you use it.
- This recipe makes one 500ml/17oz and one 250ml/8oz mason jar worth of sauce.
- The sauce can be refrigerated for a few days but freezing immediately is recommended.
- You can freeze the sauce for up to 3 months.
- If you cannot get hold of shado beni/spiritweed then use cilantro/fresh coriander.
- This is the link that you need for my Homemade All Purpose Seasoning.
- This is the Jamaican Curry Powder that I'm using.
- Store your sauce in freezer friendly containers or secure freezer bags (labelled).
- Make sure you de-frost thoroughly before using it.
- The sauce will be quite thick which is normal, if you want it thinner then you will need to dilute it accordingly (when using it, not before).
- The level of heat from the sauce will vary.
- For a very hot curry sauce add 2-3 or more whole scotch bonnets.
- If you want your sauce mild or no heat, use only the skin of a scotch bonnet or none at all.
- Be sure to remove the scotch bonnet once the sauce has cooked to omit any heat.
Other recipes you should try
- Jamaican Jerk Paste
- Haitian Epis
- Cuban Mojo Marinade
- Caribbean Green Seasoning
- Sea Moss Gel
- Mango Jam Recipe
- Sazon Seasoning Mix
- Annatto Oil
- Caramelized Onions
**Don't forget to comment below and star rate if you have tried my recipes. Let's be friends and engage on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram I also like to pin on Pinterest, where you can find more amazing recipes.**
Caribbean Curry Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoon olive oil or coconut oil
- 1 large onion chopped
- 2 large scallion sliced
- ½ tablespoon fresh ginger grated
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 1 large red pepper chopped
- 1 large carrot chopped
- 1 cup chopped tomatoes (150g)
- ¼ cup curry powder
- 1 tablespoon all purpose seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon all spice
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 12 sprigs of fresh thyme stems removed
- 1½ tablespoon chadon beni chopped
- 1 can full fat coconut milk (13oz/400ml)
- ¼ cup creamed coconut (60g) heaped
- scotch bonnet (depending on how much heat you want)
- pink salt to taste
Instructions
- On medium heat in a medium sized frying pan/skillet, add the olive oil and proceed to saute the onion, scallion, garlic and ginger until soft and translucent.
- Add the red bell pepper, carrots and chopped tomatoes, continue to cook for a few minutes while stirring.
- Stir in the herbs and spices - curry powder, all purpose seasoning, black pepper, all spice, thyme, chadon beni and paprika.
- Continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes until the spices/herbs have fully incorporated.
- Pour in the coconut milk, creamed coconut and add the desired amount of scotch bonnet that you want for heat.
- Bring the mixture to a rolling boil then reduce the heat to low/medium with the lid on.
- Allow the mixture to simmer for 20 minutes, checking periodically and stirring.
- After the given time, allow the mixture to slightly cool, remove the scotch bonnet if necessary before transferring it to the blender (you may need to do this in batches).
- Puree the curry sauce into a smooth consistency.
- Do a taste test and add pink salt to taste along with any additional seasoning
- Allow the curry sauce to completely cool down before pouring into a sauce jar (if you are freezing it, your container will need to be freezer friendly.
Video
Notes
- Be sure to heat the curry sauce through first before you use it.
- This recipe makes one 500ml/17oz and one 250ml/8oz mason jar worth of sauce.
- The sauce can be refrigerated for a few days but freezing immediately is recommended.
- You can freeze the sauce for up to 3 months.
- If you cannot get hold of shado beni/spiritweed then use cilantro/fresh coriander.
- This is the link that you need for my Homemade All Purpose Seasoning.
- This is the Jamaican Curry Powder that I'm using.
- Store your sauce in freezer friendly containers or secure freezer bags (labelled).
- Make sure you de-frost thoroughly before using it.
- The sauce will be quite thick which is normal, if you want it thinner then you will need to dilute it accordingly (when using it, not before).
- The level of heat from the sauce will vary.
- For a very hot curry sauce add 2-3 or more whole scotch bonnets.
- If you want your sauce mild or no heat, use only the skin of a scotch bonnet or none at all.
- Be sure to remove the scotch bonnet once the sauce has cooked to omit any heat.
Matej @ CookWeWill.Com says
This looks like a great sauce Charla! I love pretty much all curry versions, so I'm sure this one is going to be great too. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Charla says
You are very welcome.
Casey says
The flavors are divine and there are so many uses for this amazing sauce!!! It's a keeper for sure!
Charla says
Thanks Casey
Beth says
This is perfect for me! I love the flavors of the Caribbean, but I have no time to do all the work that goes into making traditional curry. I'm not a purist, either. If it's good, it's good!
Charla says
Yay! this will be ideal for you then Beth.
Gabriela says
Omg yes! Yes yes yes. This is a prefect curry recipe. Thank you so much for sharing my family loves it 💚
Charla says
Hi Gabriela, I'm so glad yourself and loved ones like the sauce.
Mahy says
Oh wow - those Caribbean flavors are magnificent! Love how delicious this curry sauce looks!
Charla says
Thank you so much Mahy
Heather says
This sauce looks so flavorful! Plan on making a batch to use for grilling all season...can't wait!
Charla says
Yay! I'm so excited for you Heather.
Katherine says
Oooh I love all the great flavors in this sauce. So handy to make a batch and then use it in so many ways.
Charla says
Thanks Katherine, I totally agree! So handy!!