Turmeric paste is very anti-inflammatory, both to the gut and systemically. It is especially good for gastritis (inflammation of the stomach lining) and enteritis (small intestinal inflammation). As covered in The Gut Health Protocol turmeric paste is essential to healing; this recipe makes it easy.
Turmeric must be cooked in oil and pepper (for piperine) to be bioavailable. According to research studies this paste is 2,000 times as bioavailable as raw turmeric (see references in The Gut Health Protocol 2nd Edition).
This recipe for turmeric paste takes about 30-40 minutes and makes 1/2 quart (I personally double the recipe to make one quart). You can use the “Print” button at the bottom to print just the recipe without all the site menus.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup (120 mL, or about 60 gms) organic turmeric powder
- 1 cup water (240 mL) plus 1 cup water in reserve
- 1/3 cup (80 mL) Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (or Extra Virgin Olive Oil if allergic to coconuts. Otherwise not recommended unless used up quickly)
- 1/2 teaspoon of freshly fine ground black pepper #1
Directions:
Wear old clothes and clear plenty of room on your work surface. Turmeric stains, be sure to take precautions against spills, spatters, etc. You might also consider wearing latex gloves (though I do not). I try to use only metal utensils (or an old wooden spoon) when working with turmeric as it can stain plastic and wood. This recipe can be easily doubled (the photo above was a doubled batch).
- Place turmeric, pepper and 1 cup of water in a saucepan.
- Simmer (do not boil) for 5-7 minutes, stir in more water from 2nd cup as mixture becomes dry (I usually don’t use the full 2 cups, but close). Whisk every 30-45 seconds (or continuously), whisking helps prevent splatters. It can also be helpful to run a spatula around the sides and bottom of the pan to prevent sticking. Simmer until your whisk or spatula leaves soft to medium peaks. We want to cook this slowly and simmer out much of the moisture.
- Stir in the coconut oil, whisk until combined. Simmer on low for 6-7 more minutes while whisking every 30 seconds. Whisking helps prevent splatters. Whisk well at end. Continue to simmer until your whisk or spatula leaves soft to medium peaks. The paste will thicken after it cools and is refrigerated.
- Remove from heat, allow to cool. Stir or whisk a couple of times while it is cooling.
Store in a sealed glass mason / ball jar. Keep refrigerated for up to 3 months, or 12 months in the freezer (unopened) . This lasts a long time because it is basically “turmeric confit”, the coconut oil helps preserve it. Make sure only clean / dry utensils are used to remove the paste, otherwise molds can develop. Jars may be frozen if what you make will not be used within 3 months. When freezing, be sure to fill jars only ¾ full to allow for expansion. Make sure you only use clean utensils when spooning out the turmeric. This will allow it to stay fresh longer.
#1 The amount of pepper has been reduced from the original recipe. Further review of the research studies indicate that very little pepper is needed to help the bioavailability of curcumin. Too much can irritate the gut for some people. I’ve also underlined “finely” as course ground pepper can irritate the gut as it may not be fully digested. If you have active leaky gut, or find that pepper irritates your gut, you can cut this amount even more, to 1/4 tsp.
Based on a recipe by Dr. Doug English, used with his kind permission. His advice and recipes can be found at the website Turmeric Life.
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