Wednesday 24 July 2013

Noreen's sauce for chicken

Noreen was my step-mother-in-law from my first marriage. Confused much? Don't be. She is the most remarkable woman; generous, warm, motherly and a hug that went on forever. When you were with Noreen, nothing else mattered except that you were loved. She didn't judge, she didn't ask, she just loved. When that marriage ended, I would gladly have given up the house to keep her. As things go, I didn't get to keep her but her legacy remains with this amazing sauce. She made it for me one night at her home on Lake Munmorah, NSW. She roasted a chicken in her frypan and, dispensing with routine gravy, chose instead to pour this sweet dark brown syrup over it. I was hooked. I first made it in 1987, and it is full of 1980s ingredients. So as not to lose it, I hand-wrote it in the cover of my Common Sense Cookery Book. 

I also use it on meatballs, hamburgers and I usually lick the spoon. PS when I say "a dirty great dollop of butter" I'm not trying to be funny.

2 tablespoons of tomato sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon curry powder
3 tablespoons of caster sugar
a dirty great dollop of butter

Put everything in a saucepan and heat slowly. Serve immediately. When I'm feeling lazy, I've been known to microwave it, but keep that between you and me.