It’s a true Renaissance period for retro recipes and this time around it’s the curried sausages. Searches for curried sausage recipes on Google have risen 179% over the last five years, with searches increasing steadily every year. This upward trajectory can be attributed to several factors, but the big two can be boiled down to the economy and evolving – or rather, revolving – tastes.

In the last year or so, big names in pop culture have been recreating the quintessential dish of sausages, veggies, and a curry-based gravy. Delicious. contributor Khanh Ong has whipped up his Vegemite curried sausages for us. Youtube cooking sensation Andy Cooks featured the dish on his channel in 2023. Even the Heeler family referenced curried sausages in an episode of Bluey. Curried sausages are in.

There’s no getting around the economics of a dish like curried sausages, which first rose to popularity in Australia in the 1970s. As global economic strains persist, many home cooks are seeking budget-friendly, filling meals that don’t compromise on flavour and can be thrown together with just a few staples.

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Curried sausages offer a cost-effective means of stretching that economy pack of beef sausages further while utilising other affordable ingredients like veggies that have seen better days, and shelf-stable curry powder. The dish’s ability to stretch ingredients while delivering big on flavour makes it particularly appealing when payday can’t come soon enough.

Moreover, in the last couple of years, we have seen a big shift in cooking habits, driven by a desire for convenience and efficiency. The hustle is real and it’s tiring. We’re all looking for family-friendly dishes that can be on the table in 20 minutes and that even picky eaters can’t resist. 

Curried sausages fit well into this mid-week bracket, requiring minimal prep and cook time. The most laborious element is chopping an onion. If you don’t have time for that, we can’t help you.

Of course, it’s not all doom and gloom out there. But on those days that work/life/money/the environment/social media/politics/and everything else just feel a bit much it’s natural to gravitate towards a comforting meal. A meal from another time, when the only bill you knew went by William and the biggest decision of the day was who got the first turn today on the Nintendo.

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How do you make curried sausages?

Curried sausages are so simple to make that ‘recipe’ feels a bit misleading. If you want to jazz it up, try one of our modern curried sausage recipes here. If you want to keep it classic, read on.

Ingredients

• 500g beef sausages
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 carrot, cut into rounds
• 1 tbs Keen’s curry powder
• 2 tbs plain flour
• 500ml chicken stock or water

Method

1. Brown your sausages in a large frying pan before adding the onions. Cook until softened – around 2 minutes.
2. Add in the curry powder and two tablespoons of flour, cook while stirring consistently for 1 minute before adding the carrots and chicken stock.
3. Simmer for 15 minutes on medium heat then serve with mashed potatoes or steamed rice.

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