Name: Pakora Sauce (Red Chilli Sauce)
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 4 tbsp tomato ketchup; 1 tbsp tomato paste; 1 tsp mint sauce; 1/4 tsp chilli powder; 1/8 tsp fine sea salt; 1 tbsp lemon juice; 1 tbsp water

Using pantry staples, you can recreate your favourite red pakora sauce at home! Its super simple, takes only 5 minutes and is the fakeaway condiment you need for pakora, bhajis and more!

A blue plate with crispy vegetable fritters garnished with herbs and a small glass bowl of red sauce. In the background, there is a green leafy decoration and a beige cloth.

This pakora sauce recipe will save you that extra £1 the takeaway now demands when you ask for "sauce separate"! And if you're anything like me you absolutely love their cabbage salad too, so why not try my fakeaway kebab-shop style cabbage salad recipe?

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Ingredients
Method
What To Serve It With
Pakora Sauce (Red Chilli Sauce)

And if you prefer the pink version then you can get my recipe for that here. Or simply add some double cream to the recipe below - instant pink pakora sauce!

Ingredients

Tomato Ketchup

Tomato Puree

Mint Chutney

Lemon Juice - can be substituted for lime juice if it's all you have available

Chilli Powder - increase this if you prefer it spicier, but make as per the recipe and then add to taste thereafter.

I use kashmiri chilli powder that I picked it up in a local Asian supermarket. But standard chilli powder from any major supermarket is absolute fine.

Salt

Water

Method

Pakora Sauce couldn't be simpler! Simply add all the ingredients together into a bowl.

Tomato Ketchup, Tomato Paste, Lemon Juice, Water

A hand holding a silver tablespoon filled with tomato sauce above a white bowl containing more sauce, set on a wooden surface.

A hand with red nail polish holds a metal tablespoon filled with a yellowish liquid above a white bowl containing red sauce, possibly ketchup, on a wooden surface.

Chilli Powder, Salt, Mint Sauce

A hand holds a small bowl containing red spice powder and salt. Below, a larger bowl has red sauce and a bit of liquid. Both bowls are set on a wooden surface.

A hand holding a measuring spoon with a liquid ingredient over a bowl containing a tomato-based sauce mixture, including visible red spices and liquid ingredients, on a wooden surface.

And stir to combine! It can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days.

What To Serve It With

This Pakora Sauce is perfect with:

Chicken Pakora

Vegetable Bhajis

Haggis Pakora

If you're looking to create an Indian fakeaway feast at home then why not try my Chicken Chasni or South Indian Garlic Chilli Curry recipes? Or serve alongside some Homemade Poppadoms and Spiced Onions or my Kebab Shop Cabbage Salad?

If you have any questions, or want to tell me what you think of my recipe, then please leave a comment below! Please share any photos by tagging me on Instagram - I love seeing your recreations.