Worcestershire sauce (Recipe: curry dip)

Originally published in May 2007, this updated ingredient post features new photos and links. Sometimes we forget about the simple appetizers, and how well they can set the stage for a meal. This dip takes just seconds to make, and it's always a hit. Serve it with chilled crudites, or with crusty roasted vegetables.

In July, 1981, the US Department of the Army was "honored" by Taxpayers for Common Sense with their Golden Fleece Award, for spending $6,000 to prepare a 17-page manual on how to buy Worcestershire sauce.

Seriously.

Never fear, my friends; you don't need to read the report. I'm going to tell you how to buy Worcestershire sauce (I'll even tell you how to use it), and my advice won't cost you a penny.

Go to any grocery store in the United States. Look in the condiment aisle, the one that has ketchup, mustard, mayo and canned olives. You'll see an orange box that says Lea & Perrins, and inside will be a bottle mysteriously sheathed in a tan paper wrapper. And inside that wrapper you'll discover a bottle exactly like the one in my pantry.

Worcestershire (pronounced WOOH STER SHEER, or, sometimes in England, WOOH STER), contains, according to the label, malt vinegar, spirit vinegar, molasses, sugar, salt, anchovies, tamarind, shallots or onions, garlic, spices and flavorings. Exactly which spices and flavorings are a closely-guarded secret; only three or four people in the Lea & Perrins company know the complete recipe.

Worcestershire sauce originated, as you might expect, in Worcester, England, in the early 1800s. A certain Lord Sandys, returning home from travels in India, brought back a recipe for a condiment he'd tasted, and he asked local pharmacists Joe Lea and William Perrins to duplicate the sauce for him. They did, and they put aside a few gallons for themselves. When they tasted it, Messrs. Lea and Perrin proclaimed it vile, and relegated it to the cellar. Several years later, however, they uncovered the jars and decided to taste once more. The sauce had mellowed into something quite delicious, and an enterprise was born.

When Fernand Petiot, barman at Harry's New York Bar, tossed some Worcestershire sauce in with vodka and tomato juice in 1921 to create a Bloody Mary, this pungent sauce earned a place in homes and restaurants everywhere. It's a key ingredient in Caesar salad, too. No pantry should be without it.

Curry dip

From the pantry, you'll need: sour cream or Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, curry powder, ketchup, garlic, cayenne pepper.

Makes 1 cup; can be multiplied.

Ingredients

1/2 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
3 Tbsp mayonnaise (or half mayo + half plain yogurt)
1/2 tsp curry powder, mild or hot
1 Tbsp ketchup
1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper, or more to taste

Directions

Mix all ingredients in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and chill at least 4 hours or overnight to allow flavors to marry.

Serve with crackers, cucumber slices, roasted potatoes or parsnips, celery sticks, or pita triangles.

[Printer-friendly recipe.]

 
More ways to use that bottle of Worcestershire sauce:
Black bean dip
Slow cooker chipotle baked beans
Smoked bluefish paté
Slow cooker barbecue beef brisket
Penang-style baked chicken

Other recipes that use these pantry ingredients:
Worcestershire burgers with gouda, mushrooms and ranch dressing, from Taste and Tell
Savory spiced pecans, from The Kitchn
Horseradish meatloaf with caramelized onions and sour cream-horseradish sauce, from Kalyn's Kitchen
Steak Diane, from Simply Recipes
Make ahead frozen meatballs, from Food Renegade

Go to any grocery store in the United States. Look in the condiment aisle, the one that has ketchup, mustard, mayo and canned olives. You'll see an orange box that says Lea & Perrins, and inside will be a bottle mysteriously sheathed in a tan paper wrapper. And inside that wrapper you'll discover a bottle exactly like the one in my pantry.

Worcestershire (pronounced WOOH STER SHEER, or, sometimes in England, WOOH STER), contains, according to the label, malt vinegar, spirit vinegar, molasses, sugar, salt, anchovies, tamarind, shallots or onions, garlic, spices and flavorings. Exactly which spices and flavorings are a closely-guarded secret; only three or four people in the Lea & Perrins company know the complete recipe.

Worcestershire sauce originated, as you might expect, in Worcester, England, in the early 1800s. A certain Lord Sandys, returning home from travels in India, brought back a recipe for a condiment he'd tasted, and he asked local pharmacists Joe Lea and William Perrins to duplicate the sauce for him. They did, and they put aside a few gallons for themselves. When they tasted it, Messrs. Lea and Perrin proclaimed it vile, and relegated it to the cellar. Several years later, however, they uncovered the jars and decided to taste once more. The sauce had mellowed into something quite delicious, and an enterprise was born.

When Fernand Petiot, barman at Harry's New York Bar, tossed some Worcestershire sauce in with vodka and tomato juice in 1921 to create a Bloody Mary, this pungent sauce earned a place in homes and restaurants everywhere. It's a key ingredient in Caesar salad, too. No pantry should be without it.

Curry dip

From the pantry, you'll need: sour cream or Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, curry powder, ketchup, garlic, cayenne pepper.

Makes 1 cup; can be multiplied.

Ingredients

1/2 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
3 Tbsp mayonnaise (or half mayo + half plain yogurt)
1/2 tsp curry powder, mild or hot
1 Tbsp ketchup
1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper, or more to taste

Directions

Mix all ingredients in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and chill at least 4 hours or overnight to allow flavors to marry.

Serve with crackers, cucumber slices, roasted potatoes or parsnips, celery sticks, or pita triangles.

[Printer-friendly recipe.]

 
More ways to use that bottle of Worcestershire sauce:
Black bean dip
Slow cooker chipotle baked beans
Smoked bluefish paté
Slow cooker barbecue beef brisket
Penang-style baked chicken

Other recipes that use these pantry ingredients:
Worcestershire burgers with gouda, mushrooms and ranch dressing, from Taste and Tell
Savory spiced pecans, from The Kitchn
Horseradish meatloaf with caramelized onions and sour cream-horseradish sauce, from Kalyn's Kitchen
Steak Diane, from Simply Recipes
Make ahead frozen meatballs, from Food Renegade

Comments

G'day and thanks for allowing me to learn something new today!
YUM re your dip re curry!
Cheers! Joanne

Love the sound of this dip! I'm thinking this would be amazing with roasted broccoli.

Worcestershire sauce is that one mystery sauce that adds that little zing to certain recipes. Great dip recipe to add a dash!

LOVE this ingredient and I use it in many unexpected ways!

Ah my favourite! Being born and bred in Worcester, England I can attest that this fine sauce is one of the city's, if not the countries greatest culinary inventions, it compliments pretty much anything from curries to sandwiches, particularly cheese & ham. Also very nice with Cheese on Toast :)

I'm typically out and about with my camera taking landscape photos and all that walking and photography does make one hungry, so reaching for the aforementioned cheese and ham sandwiches enhanced with the Worcester sauce when having a break certainly fills a gap! Dont leave home without it!