When I was a kid, pre-Crohn’s-diagnosis and pre-using-food-as-medicine days, I…
Teriyaki Sauce (Paleo, AIP)
I like Japanese cuisine. I’m especially fond of makimono. I dig the cute and colourful rolls presented meticulously on square and rectangle platters. Alas, only very, very rarely do I play for Team White Rice, and so my days of sushi nom fests are basically over.
Don’t be sad for me, though! That would be silly because what I dig more than ingesting those cute and colourful rolls is feeling incredibly healthy. My always-paleo-mostly-AIP diet is keeping me well, so I never, ever view my food choices as a sacrifice. When my body, specifically my large intestine, is less inflamed, I’m a whole lot happier. I actually recently celebrated six months of consistently normal CRP levels – HUZZAH! I struggled for years and years to keep that inflammatory marker down, so this is a big blissful deal for me.
Anyway, while my tastebuds are enjoying the loads of delicious paleo/AIP eats I’ve been bestowing upon them, I know those little guys still think fondly about some of their favourite Japanese flavours, like teriyaki. Teriyaki sauce is ubiquitous. You see it on most restaurant menus. You see jars of it at the grocery story. And its household status is no surprise, really, given the pleasant tangy-sweetness it adds to any protein and vegetable.
Because teriyaki’s staple ingredients are soy and sugar, however, many a paleo eater can no longer enjoy this sauce. But that’s A-Okay because with this teriyaki sauce recipe, I’ve got your backs, paleo peeps. This recipe is also AIP compliant. Oh, happy day, for those tastebuds of mine! They can keep calm and nom on. (Oh, and don’t be alarmed by the somewhat creamy appearance of this teriyaki sauce, which is just the result of the well-emulsified ingredients.)
We’ve tried it on pork and chicken and loads of vegetables. It’s absolutely delightful.
Teriyaki Sauce (Paleo, AIP)
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Author: Martine Partridge
Recipe type: Condiment
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp onion, minced or grated
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tbsp. fresh ginger, grated
- ½ c coconut aminos
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- 1 date, chopped
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a small saucepan and heat over medium. Stir and simmer for 5 minutes. Use an immersion blender (or Magic Bullet) to puree.
- This recipe makes just over ⅔ c. I like to marinate one pound of meat (chicken, pork, or beef) in ⅓ c of the teriyaki sauce for about 4 hours and then stir fry with other vegetables. You can use remaining teriyaki sauce for drizzling over the vegetables, but I find the meat is flavourful enough with just the ⅓ c of sauce and is a nice compliment to vegetables simply sauteed in coconut oil. My preference is to reserve the remaining ⅓ c for another batch of protein marinade.
