Recipes - Chritmas Turkey
Ingredients:
5 Kg. Turkey
4 Tbsp. Ghee
To marinate:
½ Cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp. ginger/garlic paste
2 Tsp pepper powder
½ Tsp. ajinamoto ( optional)
For Stuffing:
6 Medium slices of white bread (cubed)
2 Medium potatoes boiled and cut into small pieces
6 chicken franks cooked and cut into small pieces
½ Kg. chicken gizzards including the turkey gizzard (if available)
½ Cup green peas (cooked)
2 Large onions (chopped and shredded)
2" pc ginger (minced)
4 green chilies (minced)
Half bunch mint (finely chopped)
½ bunch coriander leaves (finely chopped)
1 Tsp. pepper powder
1 Tsp. all spice powder (garam masala)
2 Tbsp. raisins
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. vinegar
Salt to taste
Grind the following by using little water:
5 Dates
2 Red chilies
1 Tbsp. raisins
1 Tsp. mustard paste
Method:
Thaw the Turkey for atleast 8-10 hrs. Wash well and pat dry inside and out. With a fork poke the turkey well. Marinate with above mentioned ingredients and leave in the refrigerator for 8-10 hrs or overnight.
In a frying pan add 2 tbsp. ghee and fry the bread cubes to light brown, remove and keep aside. Add 2 tbsp ghee and fry the onions, when just soft add green chilies and ginger, sauté for 2-3 minutes, keep down and add all of the remaining stuffing ingredients including the ground paste.
Take out the marinated turkey . Empty any accumulated water in the stomach. Stuff the turkey with the above stuffing in the stomach and stitch both the ends. Fold and tie the wings & legs. Take a big aluminum foil, pat some ghee and wrap the turkey well. You may also lay some rashes of bacon on turkey breast for better flavour and taste. Keep in a baking tray. Pre heat the oven and bake in the hot oven (gas mark 5) for 3 hrs. Every half an hour open the foil and baste it with the accumulated ghee. After 3 hrs remove the foil completely, reduce the heat to gas mark 3 and leave it to brown for about ½ an hour. Remove from the oven and cover it with foil and keep warm till you are ready for X'mas meal.
Serving suggestions: Remove from the foil and keep the cooked turkey in the center of a big serving tray surrounded with boiled vegetables such as baby carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, baby potatoes, baby corn, Brussels sprouts (like tiny cabbage) with a dash of salt, pepper and butter.
In a separate bowl keep some cranberry sauce (ready made) or homemade gravy by using the remaining liquid while baking the turkey, which should be strained, and boiled and thickened by using a spoon of plain flour or corn flour, mixed with water and seasonings or with the mustard sauce.
Comment on this article
Riana Mendonce, Calgary
Fri, Oct 09 2020In your method you have not mentioned when to use the grinding ingredients i.e the dates, red chillies , raisins and mustard paste.