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The Honolulu Advertiser
A Chinese approach to turkey | The Honolulu Advertiser | Hawaii's Newspaper
Posted on: Wednesday, February 21, 2007

FOOD FOR THOUGHT
 A Chinese approach to turkey

By Wanda A. Adams
Advertiser Columnist

 •  A top chef returns

Around Thanksgiving, when turkey prices hit rock bottom, friends who have an extra freezer always buy an extra turkey to roast the next time they have a big gathering.

If you're one of those who keeps a turkey in reserve, you might be interested in a request that came in from Janet Scott, who was seeking a recipe for Chinese turkey that she clipped from a newspaper food section a long time ago. She left the recipe in storage when she returned to Honolulu from the Mainland recently and has two turkeys in the freezer just waiting to get the Chinese treatment. All she remembered was that it calls for five-spice and was not stuffed.

I found one recipe online and another in our files, in an old Maili Yardley column. Having dispatched both to her, I went home and tried both marinades on chicken, and both were 'ono.

CHINESE TURKEY I

  • 6 tablespoons soy sauce

  • 3 tablespoons sugar

  • 2 tablespoons oyster sauce

  • 2 teaspoons five-spice powder

  • 2 cloves garlic, pressed

  • 1 (10-12 pound) turkey (defrosted, if frozen)

  • 12 scallions, sliced fine

  • Several sprigs cilantro (Chinese parsley)

    Combine soy sauce, sugar, oyster sauce, five-spice and garlic. Pour half of mixture over turkey and paint the inside with the remainder. Place scallions and cilantro inside turkey cavity. Roast 20 minutes per pound or until a meat thermometer registers 175 degrees. Allow turkey to rest, covered loosely with foil, 10-15 minutes. Carve and serve.

    Makes 6-8 servings.

  • Per serving: 760 calories, 36 g fat, 10 g saturated fat, 300 mg cholesterol, greater than 1000 mg sodium, 9 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 6 g sugar, 94 g protein

    CHINESE TURKEY II

  • 1/4 cup soy sauce

  • 2 teaspoons salt

  • 1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice

  • 2-3 tablespoons salad oil

  • 3 teaspoons sherry

  • 1/2 cup sugar

  • 2 teaspoon red bean curd (preserved tofu)

  • 1/2 teaspoon red food coloring

  • 1 (10-12 pound) turkey (defrosted, if frozen)

    Combine all marinade ingredients and mix well. Place turkey in a baking pan or other large container and spoon marinade over. Marinate several hours or overnight, refrigerated, spooning sauce over from time to time.

    Bring turkey to room temperature. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place turkey on roasting rack and pour sauce over from marinating container. Roast 20 minutes per pound or until a meat thermometer registers 175 degrees. Allow turkey to rest, covered loosely with foil, 10-15 minutes. Carve and serve.

    Makes 6-8 servings.

  • Per serving: 800 calories, 39 g fat, 10 g saturated fat, 300 mg cholesterol, greater than 1400 mg sodium, 13 g carbohydrate, 0 g fiber, 13 g sugar, 93 g protein

    Send recipes and queries to Wanda A. Adams, Food Editor, Honolulu Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802. Fax: 525-8055. E-mail: wadams@honoluluadvertiser.com.

    For more information about our 150th anniversary cookbook, call 535-8189 (message phone; your call will be returned). You can order the cookbook online.
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