CHRISTMAS TURKEY WITH AN ASIAN TASTE

No brining, don’t require a big storage space in a fridge, don’t have the traditional stuffing or herbal aroma that you may not appreciate!

Note: Or you can follow this link to get another recipe of mine with western style stuffing but with Asian taste. http://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/ElWAXtagtkogCAN9GNdUlg

By NZChefSi@ChefSarawak

There are many Asian who were educated in western countries or Asian-Christians would choose to celebrate their Christmas with a big roasted turkey placed on their dining table, once a year they would follow the traditional western way to roast their turkey, often I was told they didn't like the typical western style stuffing and herbs.

The following recipe with instruction is an alternative way to give my Asian readers a choice to roast their Christmas turkey with an  Asian taste, but without forgetting to mix some of the best western "compatible" ingredients and cooking techniques as well.

1. Thawing - Place your frozen turkey (don't open its plastic bag) on a tray, place on the lowest tier of your fridge for 24 -36 hours depending on a turkey's size. (Make sure your defrost it at 1 to 4C)

2. Ingredients for marinating sauce: 10 cloves Garlic, 3 Onions, 50g Ginger, 2 large dried Shitake mushroom (soaked and chopped), 2 tbsp Black vinegar, 3 tbsp Soy sauce,  50g Leek (chopped), 50g Scallion (Chopped), 1 Lemongrass (Chopped), Salt (Depend on the size of a turkey, 1 tbsp for every 2 Kg), 1 tsp 5 Spice powder, 1/2 tsp ground Cloves, 1/2 Ground Cinamon, 30g Cilantro (Chopped. If you don't like the smell change it to basil), 30g Parsley (Chopped), 50g Celery (Chopped), 50g Dill or fennel leaves, 1 carrot (Grated), 1 tsp ground Black pepper, 1 tsp Korean fermented chili flakes, 5 tbsp Extra virgin black sesame oil, 3 flakes Anchovy, 10 Olive (pitless), 5 bay leaves, 5 slices Lemon, 2 Kaffir lime leaves, 300ml White grape wine, good grade rice wine or beer.

3. To make the marinating sauce - In a wok, toasted all the dried spices until aromatic. Add all ingredients to a blender, blend until a thin puree-like sauce, check seasoning.

4. Wash your turkey, tie the legs and tug its wings behind. Place the turkey in a big plastic bag. Pour the marinating sauce on the turkey, cover the whole turkey. Tie the plastic bag tightly. Place on a baking tray and store on the lowest tier of a fridge, keep it there for 24 hours before roasting (Make sure your turkey must be stored between 1 to 4 degree Celsius).

5. Ingredients for turkey stuffing (Stuffing is the filling insert into a turkey's tummy): 250g Sushi rice, sweet rice or  your choice of rice, 50g Shallot (Brunoise), 3 cloves Garlic, 10 Water chestnuts (fresh or dried), 20g Dried Logan (dehydrated, brunoise), 2 tbsp Minced Shitake mushroom, 1 tbsp Dark soy sauce, 1 tsp Miso paste, 1 fillet Anchovy (Mashed), 3 stripes Bacon (Lardon), 100g Fresh Pork fat (brunoise), 3 Your choice of sausage (Brunoise), 1 tsp Wine vinegar, 150ml Reduce pork bone stock, 1/4 tsp White pepper powder, 1/2 tsp 5 Spice powder, 2 tbsp Minced Vietnamese mint, 1 tsp Ginger juice, 1 tbsp Lemongrass juice, 100ml White rice wine (Deglaze), 2 tbsp Sesame oil.

6. Soak the rice for 4 hours. Drain and spread on a baking tray, air dry it. In a wok fry the pork fat and bacon until crunchy, then fry the shallot and garlic until light brown, add anchovy, all the spices, and sausage, then mushroom, deglaze with ginger juice, lemongrass juice, then wine. Then add the rice, keep stirring and add the stock gradually for around 5 minutes, then add soy sauce, miso paste, water chestnuts, and herbs. Lastly, check the seasoning and fold in sesame oil, remember don't cook the rice. Let the rice cools down.

6. Before roasting the turkey, rinse your turkey with cold water, then pour boiling water to the turkey skin, pack dry the skin with napkins, brush it with olive oil mixed with sesame oil, salt, and vinegar. Insert the stuffing into the turkey cavity then sealed it with toothpicks.

7. Sieve the marinating sauce, pour the liquid into a large roasting pan (don't add too much if it is too salty), add 4 onions (cut into quarters), 200g Daikon (Cut in chunks), 200g Burdock roots 9Cut in chunks), 200g Sweet potato 9cut in chunks), 200g Potato (cut in chunks), 5 stalks whole scallions. Put the rack on, place the turkey on top of it. Place into a 180C preheated oven, fill up the roasting pan with unsalted pork bone/chicken stock (Remember to keep adding the stock every 30 minutes to prevent the roasting pan from drying, this will also ensure a moist turkey). Continuously basting the turkey with the flavored oil for two hours, then use the roasting pan liquid to baste the turkey in every 15 minutes for another hour until it is cooked (turn off simmering heat can still further roast the turkey for another 20 to 30 minutes depending on if it is winter or summer). Usually, a medium size turkey (4 -5kg) may be cooked for 3 hours, then let the residue heat cooked it to well-done.

8. Gravy: Traditionally cranberry sauce is used to accompany carved turkey meat. You can reduce 200ml white wine to half, then add the roasting pan jus to it (check seasoning before you add to the reduced wine to make sure it is not too salty), check seasoning, thicken with cold butter cubes (Monte).