Recipe

Festive Indian Spiced Turkey

All Recipes / Festive / Dinner

A deliciously moist Indian spiced turkey, marinated in a Tandoori and Masala yoghurt, with additional aromatic flavours and spice, offering a unique change from the traditional turkey enjoyed at this unique celebratory time of the year. For this turkey I use a meat thermometer to control cooking – check instructions on the packet of the machine. 

Enjoy the recipes below as accompaniments to the Festive Indian Spiced Turkey.

Turmeric Roast Potatoes

Kachumber Salad

 

8
marinate 24hrs/stuffing 20 mins
3 hrs + 30 min stand
160ºC

Ingredients

  • 4kg fresh turkey
    - or frozen defrosted, giblets removed
  • Marinade
  • 50g Tandoori powder mix
  • 50g Masala powder mix
  • 2 x 450g tubs plain yoghurt
  • 1 lemon
    - juice only
  • 1 onion
    - skin removed, thickly sliced
  • 2 x cinnamon sticks
  • Stuffing
  • 250g basmati rice
    - cooked
  • 1 large red onion
    - roughly sliced
  • 60g root ginger
    - roughly chopped
  • 4 fat cloves garlic
    - roughly chopped
  • 2 red chillies
    - finely sliced with seeds
  • 2 tbsp currants
  • 4 cardamon pods
  • 1 tsp whole coriander seeds
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds
  • 2 tbsp Ghee
    - or coconut oil
  • Marinade and for Bake
  • Raw onion slices
  • Lemon slices
  • Cinnamon sticks
  • Garnish
  • Festive decorations and poppadum

Instructions

  • Prepare turkey:
  • 01 Dry turkey with a clean cloth all over. Make sure the turkey giblets are removed, to be used for gravy if you so wish.
  • Make marinade:
  • 02 In a bowl mix yoghurt, tandoori and masala powder mix. Add lemon juice and beat smooth.
  • Marinate turkey:
  • 03 Smother the prepared turkey all over with marinade. Add lemon slices, raw onions and cinnamon bark. Place in a container, cover and marinade 24 hours in a very cold place, or refrigerator.
  • Make stuffing:
  • 04 The day of cooking the turkey, make the stuffing ie cook rice. Allow to become cold. Heat ghee in a large frying pan, add onions, ginger, garlic and chillies. Allow to soften. Remove from the heat and in a large bowl mix with cooked rice and all remaining ingredients. Season to taste. Allow to become cold and keep to onside for later. Please note this is a dry, yet slightly sticky stuffing.
  • Assemble to roast:
  • 05 Fill the carcass with the cold, cooked spiced rice plus any seasoning you can throw inside. Secure legs into the Turkey chest skin as this will keep the rice stuffing secure inside during roasting, or tie legs together securely with oven proof string. Lightly oil the base of a large roasting tin. Lay large pieces of onion in the base of the tin. Use these to support the turkey during roasting (no need for a wrack). Carefully lift turkey still covered in marinade and sit on the raw onion halves. Lay on more lemon slices and extra cinnamon barks for extra flavour. Stab the thermometer into the breast of the turkey as instructed.
  • Roast:
  • 06 Pre-heat oven to 180ºC. When hot reduce oven temperature to 160ºC. Place turkey uncovered in the oven and roast until golden brown. Check with a thermometer that turkey is at the right temperature or make sure that the POPPER commercially inserted has popped!
  • IMPORTANT:
  • 07 Leave to rest for 30 minutes before carving. Remove from tin and lay on a large serving plate, remove the string.
  • Finale:
  • 08 Serve with your favourite festive vegetables, turmeric roast potatoes, poppadum and a freshly made Kachumber salad.

Notes

Make sure your turkey is well defrosted before assembling to cook. Always allow to rest 30 minutes before serving. Enjoy your turkey hot but equally as tasty when cold, and the carcass makes a GREAT lightly spiced soup!

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