Asian Spiced Turkey Recipes

Steps:

• Place celery and onions inside the turkey cavity. In a small bowl, combine 1 cup water, soy sauce, sugar, apple juice, vanilla and seasonings; mix well. Place turkey, breast side up, on a rack in a roasting pan; pour remaining water into the pan. Pour 1/4 cup soy sauce mixture into the cavity and another 1/4 cup over turkey; set remaining sauce aside. Bake, uncovered, at 325° for 3-1/2 to 4 hours or until a thermometer reads 180°, basting occasionally with remaining sauce. When turkey begins to brown, cover lightly with foil. Cover and let stand for 20 minutes before carving.

Steps:

• Remove turkey from refrigerator and pat dry with paper towels. Place on a rack in a roasting pan and allow turkey to come to room temperature while you prepare the sauce.
• Swirl 3 tablespoons oil into a wok or large Dutch oven and set over medium-high heat until it begins to shimmer. Add garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, until golden, about 3 minutes. Add scallions, leeks and celery and cook, stirring often, until vegetables soften and cook down, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Add soybean sauce, orange peel, sugar, rice wine or sherry, white pepper, soy sauce and oyster sauce to the vegetable mixture, along with 2 cups water. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil, then lower the heat and allow mixture to simmer and thicken, 30 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool 20 minutes.
• Heat oven to 450 degrees. Spoon 1 cup of the sauce over turkey and spoon 2 tablespoons into its cavity. Tuck the tips of the wings under the bird and truss its legs together with kitchen string. Pour remaining sauce and 2 cups water into roasting pan and transfer to oven. Roast turkey, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
• Reduce oven to 325 degrees. Baste turkey with pan juices, and tent it with foil. Continue roasting another 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours, basting every 30 minutes with pan juices, until a thermometer inserted into the thigh registers 165 degrees. If pan starts to look dry, add hot water or turkey or chicken stock, if you have any, 1 cup at a time.
• Transfer turkey to a cutting board or platter and let rest at least 30 minutes before carving. Pour pan drippings into a small pot, adding enough warm water or stock to equal 1 cup, and keep warm on the stove.
• Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees. Grease a large sheet pan with 1 tablespoon oil, and arrange halved potatoes on the pan, cut side down. Season with salt and black pepper, and slide potatoes into the oven. Cook, undisturbed, until potatoes are tender and cut sides are nicely browned and crisped, 30 to 35 minutes.
• Remove pan from the oven, drizzle reserved drippings all over potatoes, toss and return to the oven to finish cooking, 5 minutes longer. Serve potatoes with turkey.

Steps:

• Two to three hours in advance, combine the water, salt, sugar, soy sauce, peppercorns, ginger, anise, and bay leaves in a cooler large enough to hold the turkey and stir to mix. Taste the brine, it should taste like sweet ocean water. Adjust salt and or turkey to taste. Add the turkey, if it is not covered, add more water and adjust seasoning accordingly. Fill the cooler with ice packs and cover.
• Fry in 375 degree F oil until cooked through 10 to 12 minutes depending on piece. Remove the turkey and season with the same chile salt used for the fries.
• Note: If you would like to do some of the cooking in advance, heat oil to 345 degrees F and blanch the turkey for 10 minutes. Later when ready to serve, heat the oil to 375 degrees F and finish cooking until a meat thermometer registers 170 and the skin is crisp and golden.
• Plating: Arrange the turkey in the center of the plate, stick spears out of the turkey with the cranberry syrup in a small separate bowl. Sprinkle with chile salt, garnish with fried sage leaves. Dip in cranberry syrup, and enjoy.
• Serve the turkey, if desired, with sweet potato fries and garnish with sage leaves that have been fried at 375 degrees F for 1minute until crisp and translucent, not brown.
• In a medium saucepan over medium heat, sweat the onions and the ginger until the onions are translucent. Add the cranberries, orange zest/juice, vinegar, cranberry juice, and sugar and simmer until reduced by about 25 percent. The mixture should coat a spoon. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Keep the chunky sauce in the refrigerator until ready to use.
• Cut the sweet potatoes into spears and place in the prepared fryer for 10 minutes until crispy. Remove and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with the chile salt.
• Note: as with the turkey, the fries can be blanched in 345 degree F oil ahead of time until just tender, but not brown, and refried in 375 degree F oil until crisp and golden.

Steps:

• In a cold 12-inch skillet, combine oil, garlic and ginger. Place over medium heat until sizzling, then continue to cook, stirring frequently, until garlic and ginger are golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate and sprinkle lightly with salt.
• Add coconut oil to pan, then stir in scallion whites and cook until starting to brown, about 2 minutes. Stir in red-pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute.
• Stir in turkey, raise heat to medium-high, and cook, breaking up meat with a spoon, until golden and crisp, about 7 minutes. Don't stir the meat too much, so it can turn deep brown.
• Remove pan from heat and stir in lime juice, fish sauce and soy sauce. Taste and add more lime juice, red-pepper flakes, soy sauce and sugar or honey if you like.
• Gently mix about two-thirds of the fried garlic and ginger into the turkey. Serve turkey over rice, topped with cilantro, basil, scallion greens and fresh chile, and garnished with remaining fried ginger and garlic.

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a wok or large pan. When hot add ground turkey and stir fry it for 5 minutes. Add Hoisin sauce, hot chili sauce and 1 tablespoon of soy sauce. Continue to stir fry until almost cooked through. (I use the pampered chef tool to break up the meat into small pieces).
• In a bowl, combine the scallions, half of the ginger, cabbage, half of the chili pepper, the garlic, the 3 tablespoons of soy sauce and the lime zest.
• Add vegetable bowl mixture to wok and continue to stir fry until cooked but still slightly crisp.
• While the turkey and vegetables cook, make the dipping sauce. In a bowl, combine the remaining ginger and chili pepper, the 1/3 cup of soy sauce, the lime juice, the sesame oil, the honey and a splash of water. Taste and adjust the seasoning; if it's too salty, add another drizzle of honey.
• Before serving the meat stir in the cilantro leaves.
• Garnish with extra cilantro leaves and serve with the spicy lime dipping sauce.
• Wrap in lettuce cups or serve over noodles or rice.

Steps:

• Heat the grill to Medium. Put the turkey in a food processor and pulse until minced. Add the lemongrass, garlic and lime zest, and half the soy sauce, coriander and chilli, then pulse again until combined. Tip the mix into a bowl and add some black pepper. Shape into 8 patties, then transfer to a non-stick baking tray and grill for 3-4 mins each side, until cooked through.
• Meanwhile, soak the noodles following pack instructions, then drain and add the vegetables, the remaining soy sauce and the lime juice. Toss well, divide between plates and sprinkle with the remaining coriander and chilli. Serve with the turkey patties and some sweet chilli sauce for dipping, if you like.