Golden turmeric sauce: the warm pour-over that goes on everything

This sauce is the answer to the plate that is clean and correct but lacks a reason to sit down to. It is warm, creamy, deeply golden, and it makes everything it touches feel finished.

The base is white sweet potato, which keeps the flavor mild and slightly sweet without the earthiness of orange sweet potato. Coconut milk gives it body. The spices are the story: turmeric, ginger, and cinnamon, all three with long histories of use in the management of inflammatory conditions. Turmeric is a source of manganese and curcumin, a compound with documented anti-inflammatory activity in the research literature, though it absorbs better with fat - and the coconut milk provides exactly that. The ginger brings warmth. The cinnamon rounds the back edge.

This is a sauce for the days when the plain plate needs company. Pour it over roasted chicken or salmon, spoon it into a bowl of cauliflower rice, or use it as the base for a quick warming soup. Make a full batch and keep it in the refrigerator; it only gets better on the second day.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
• 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup bone broth
• 2 cups white sweet potato (about 1 medium potato), peeled and cubed
• 2 tbsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger (in addition to the fresh)
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon powder
• 1.5 tsp sea salt
• 1 can (13.5 oz) full-fat coconut milk
• 1 lemon, juiced

Note on sweet potato: White sweet potato (boniato or Japanese sweet potato) gives the cleanest, mildest flavor. Orange sweet potato works too but produces a slightly earthier, sweeter sauce.

Method

Warm the coconut oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add the fresh ginger and garlic and cook 1 more minute, stirring.

Pour in the bone broth and add the cubed sweet potato, turmeric, ground ginger, cinnamon, and salt. Bring to a low simmer and cook until the sweet potato is completely tender and easily pierced with a fork, about 20 minutes.

Remove from the heat and let cool for a few minutes. Transfer to a blender, add the coconut milk and lemon juice, and blend until completely smooth. The sauce should be velvety and deeply golden. Taste and adjust: more lemon for brightness, more salt for depth, a little extra turmeric if you want more warmth.

Yield: About 3 to 3.5 cups.

How to use it

• Pour over roasted chicken thighs or drumsticks just before serving
• Use as a sauce base for a cauliflower rice bowl with sauteed greens
• Spoon over pan-seared salmon or halibut
• Thin with additional broth and use as a warming soup
• Drizzle over roasted root vegetables as a plating sauce
• Use in place of alfredo sauce over spaghetti squash

Storage

Refrigerator: up to 5 days in a sealed glass jar. The sauce will thicken when chilled; reheat gently in a saucepan with a splash of broth or water, stirring until smooth.

*Adapted from autoimmunewellness.com/golden-turmeric-sauce/ by Mickey Trescott*