Ok, there is a bit of a sad story behind this revamped, good old fashioned sausage curry that Grandma used to make.  This was a staple in my house many years ago when my hubby was a full time Uni student and I was a stay at home Mum (I could write a whole book on sausage and mince recipes as that was all we could afford).  It was on the menu regularly and one night I cooked a big pot of it as my Sister, Husband and kids were coming to visit.  While they were on the way to our house we received a tragic phone call that informed us that my beloved Dad (aka Big John) had been in an accident on his motor bike which was fatal.  Hence we lost our appetites and this gorgeous curry lost its appeal.  Over 13 years have passed since that terrible day and I finally decided it was time to drag this old recipe out of the recipe book file in my head.  I made it for the family last week and a whole lot of memories came flooding back, some good, some not so good.  This curry however……where have you been for the last 13 years?

I dedicate this sensational curry to the memory of Big John, even though he hated coriander and thought it tasted like cat wee 😉

Prep time:  30  Minutes              

Cooking time:  45  Minutes              

$  Low Budget

Serves 4

8 Butcher quality chicken sausages*

Oil for frying

2 cloves of garlic, minced

3cm piece of ginger, grated

1 brown onion, halved and sliced top to bottom

3 celery stalks, finely diced

1 green apple peeled, cored and diced

1/2 cup of sultanas

1 tbs of grated lemon rind

2 heaped tbs of  mild curry powder (I use Clive of India but Keens is fine)

1 tsp of chilli flakes

Juice of 1/2 a lemon

400gm tin of diced tomatoes

400gm tin of coconut cream

Sea salt and cracked pepper

1 cup of coriander leaves, roughly chopped

1/2 cup of toasted flaked almonds*

Basmati rice, Greek style natural yoghurt, Roti, Naan or Poppadoms, sliced cucumber and coriander sprigs to serve

Heat a large pot or pan on the stove and add a small amount of oil.  Fry the sausages on all sides until almost cooked through and then remove from the pan and drain on paper towel.  Allow to cool slightly before slicing the sausages into bite sized pieces on the diagonal (looks better).

In the same pan add the onion and fry until it is just starting to soften before adding the celery, apple, lemon rind, ginger and garlic.  Stir to combine and continue to fry until the celery is starting to soften and the ginger and garlic is lovely and aromatic.  Sprinkle over the curry powder and chilli flakes and fry for approximately one minute before pouring in the lemon juice, tomatoes and coconut cream.  Stir to combine and add the sliced sausages, sultanas and sugar to the curry and season with salt and pepper.  Reduce the heat to a simmer and allow to bubble away for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Have a taste and adjust any seasoning if necessary.  Just before serving stir through the coriander leaves.

To serve, divide cooked basmati rice between four serving bowls.  Spoon over the curry and top with a generous dollop of greek yoghurt.  Sprinkle over the toasted almonds, top with coriander sprigs and serve with warmed Roti bread or pappadums.

* I find most butchers have really good quality sausages these days and often you can find ones that have Asian/Indian ingredients in them.  I found some that were flavoured with lime and coriander but any chicken, pork or beef sausage will suffice. To toast the almonds, place them in a small dry frypan and swirl them over the heat until they are just starting to change colour.  They burn quickly so don’t leave the pan.  They are also optional but add another element of flavour that really helps to make the dish.