Since my daughter’s scoliosis surgery earlier this year we’ve been trying to incorporate more turmeric into our foods to help aid her recovery. Turmeric is native to south Asia. It is a plant in the ginger family and a great anti-inflammatory. (Note: It does stain clothing if very concentrated)
Sauces are a great way to add a little turmeric to your food! This creamy turmeric sauce recipe has become a staple in our house. It gets its creaminess from coconut milk, so it is completely paleo and great for reducing inflammation.
Ingredients:
- 3 cans (13.5oz) coconut milk (buy organic BPA free coconut milk here)
- 2 teaspoons salt (where to buy salt)
- 1 tsp turmeric (buy turmeric here)
- 1 tsp garlic powder (where to buy garlic powder)
- 1 tsp onion powder (where to buy onion powder)
Instructions:
- Pour coconut milk into a saucepan (12″ works well).
- Add all the spices.
- Mix well and bring to a boil.
- Let simmer to thicken the sauce for 15-30 minutes – the longer it simmers, the stronger the flavor and the thicker the sauce.
The kids LOVE this sauce. They want it slathered on their burgers, vegetables and like to use it as dipping sauce. Enjoy!
Interested in how to transition your family to paleo? Read my eBook Paleo Made Easy. It contains practical advice for busy families, shopping tips, answers to pretty much every paleo lifestyle question, and 45+ delicious paleo recipes. Learn more here.
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Sylvie McCracken is a former celebrity assistant in Hollywood turned full time entrepreneur currently living in Ashland, Oregon with her kids. She writes about treating and preventing health conditions with real food and natural remedies, as well as anything else she feels like writing about because she's a rebel like that. ? he also mentors health professionals turned entrepreneurs on her other site, SylvieMcCracken.com
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I couldn’t get mine to thicken either. I used homemade coconut milk. But when I realized MIT wasn’t going to thicken I decided to throw in some cauliflower, cook until soft and then blend. Having it over butternut squash noodles now. So amazing!!!! Gonna live on this.
I used the 2 cans of coconut milk instead of 3 and it still takes a long time but is good. Cut the salt in half but put in 1 teaspoon of celery seed. I also put in a dash or 2 of cayenne and a tiny bit of ground jalapeno. i feel the celery seed added a lot of flavor. If you are not used to turmeric, it can be a bit of a strong taste. I would think for those who are new to it but want it in their diet, could add a little stevia to this also. Since I have gone without sugar for years, I didn’t need to do this.,
So delicious! However I had to simmer it for longer than 15-30 minutes, it took me almost an hour!
I think a huge thing that might be affecting peoples recipe is that some coconut milk cans contain garGuam or whatevery it’s called. This known fact also helps with Whipped Coconut milk desserts.
Sorry, but this was terrible, used 2 cans as suggested to make it thicker
Sorry you didn’t like it Jan
Anyone who has trouble with it thickening – try using just 2 cans of coconut milk. That’s what I did, and it worked great. I kept all the spice measurements the same except for the salt; only used about 3/4 tsp. I kept it at the hottest temp on my glasstop stovetop for about 30 minutes, then reduced it to “low” for another 15. It was thick enough, but it thickened even more after several hours in the fridge. YUM!!!
I also had an issue with the sauce not thickening. I used Whole Foods organic coconut milk full fat. No clue.
Shouldn’t you add pepper to help the turmeric absorb better?
That’s so awesome Sarah! Thank you!
I can’t say enough about this sauce. I gave it to my littles tonight. My 1 year old has been refusing anything that even looks like a vegetable. Even if I sneak a little piece of broccoli into his mouth with his meat, he will dig it out and give it back to me with a look like “nice try Mom.” One bite of broccoli in this sauce – he ate every bite and even asked for seconds and thirds!! My 7 year old asked “Mom, did you make Awesome Sauce? ‘Cause that’s what this tastes like!” Thank you for this recipe!!!
That’s so awesome Sarah! Thank you!
That’s so awesome Sarah! Thanks for your comment
This is my favorite thing right now! Not only is it yummy enough to eat by the spoonful, but I love how the inflammation in my ears and sinuses clears up as I eat it. Fantastic!
That’s so awesome Sarah! Thanks for your comment
I also made this wonderful sauce, followed the directions exactly, used the same full fat coconut milk, but my sauce never thickened, not even a little bit. I’ve had it in the fridge, now, for almost 24 hours and it still has not thickened. I really would love it if it was thicker. I poured some over steak earlier and it just runs all over the place. Is there anything I can do to help this issue??
That’s so strange. Out of curiosity, what brand of coconut milk did you use? I would simmer it longer until it reduces.
Hi Sylvie, how long will the sauce keep for?
Hi Erin, my best guess would be a week in the fridge (about as long as the coconut milk would keep). Of course, in my house it never lasts that long! 🙂
I tried this recipe but it did not thicken after simmering more than an hour. Any suggestions?
Did you use full fat coconut milk?
Hey Sylvie, nice blog. I’ll give your sauce recipe a try. I use fresh turmeric root from Whole Foods. I like it grated into a smoothie with ginger and pineapple, or sliced and added to a stir fry. If you’re eating a lot of turmeric, you might watch out for dry eyes, mouth or throat, particularly if you’ve been eating low carb (but seemingly that’s not the case). It dries up mucus, which is great if you have some to spare. A traditional use in Ayurveda is as a decongestant. A good option for coconut milk is making it from dried, shredded coconut, a la Tropical Traditions:
Also, cheers for getting your kids to eat liverwurst! Mine would never do that. I have some in the freezer that I won’t eat now that I’ve given up nightshades. If you’re interested I’ll trade you for a scoby.
Is coconut milk sweet? Will it raise blood sugar?
This is a good article comparing milks: http://www.homemademommy.net/2013/05/dairy-milk-soy-almond-coconut-hemp-rice-which-milk-is-best.html
I should try this recipe, The problem is to find organic coconut milk. Could it be replaced by almond milk?
I’m sure you could try that! But almonds are definitely not anti-inflammatory (they are high in Omega 6) so it might negate some of those effects.