Sesame Ginger Glazed Turkey w/ Vegetable Tofu "Fried" Rice Stuffing

The best flavors of Asian cooking are captured in this dish.

Sesame Ginger Glazed Turkey w/ Vegetable Tofu "Fried" Rice StuffingServes 15

INGREDIENTS

Sesame Ginger Glazed Turkey
• 2 cups Tamari
• 1 cup honey
• ¼ cup toasted sesame oil
• ½ cup fresh ginger, thinly sliced
• 1 Norbest turkey (Avg. 15 lbs)
• 1 Tbsp. kosher salt
• 2 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1 ½ tsp Chinese five-spice powder
• 6 scallions cut into 2-inch lengths
• 4 Tbsp corn starch
• ¼ cup cranberry juice
• Toasted sesame seeds

Vegetable Tofu "Fried" Rice Stuffing
• 2 lbs extra firm tofu
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 6 cups cooked medium grain brown rice
• 1 cup Tamari (or soy sauce if gluten is not
an issue)
• 2 lbs frozen peas & diced carrots
• 3 medium yellow onions, diced
• 1 dozen large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 large head Napa cabbage, chopped
• 6 green onions, sliced

Prep Time
30 min

Total Time
60 min

Servings
15

DIRECTIONS

Sesame Ginger Glazed Turkey 1 ) In a bowl large enough to hold the turkey, combine the Tamari, honey, sesame oil and half of the ginger. Put the turkey in the bowl, breast side down, and marinate at room temperature for 1 hour. Turn the turkey and marinate breast side up for another 30 minutes. Remove the turkey from the marinade and reserve the marinade for glazing later. In a small bowl, combine the salt, pepper and five-spice powder and season the turkey inside the cavity and under the skin. TIP FOR CRISPY SKIN & JUICIER MEAT: Place the turkey in the refrigerator uncovered overnight to dry it. This will result in a beautifully amber and crispy skin (think Peking duck!) The seasoning will also act as dry brine that will ensure a juicer, moister turkey. To Cook: 2 ) Preheat the oven to 350°F. Set a rack in a large roasting pan. Stuff the cavity of the turkey with the scallions and the remaining ginger. Place the turkey breast side down on the rack. Add 2 cups of water to the roasting pan. Roast the turkey until the internal temperature of the breast registers 150°F on an instant read thermometer. 3 ) Meanwhile, bring the reserved marinade to a boil in a small saucepan and reduce it by 1/3 until it will coat the back of a metal spoon. Keep Warm. 4 ) Turn the turkey breast side up and baste well with the reduced marinade/glaze. Roast uncovered for 30 minutes, brushing with more glaze every 10 minutes. The turkey is done when the instant-read thermometer inserted in the thigh registers 165°F. 5 ) Carefully pour the juices, scallions and ginger from the turkey cavity into the roasting pan and transfer the turkey to a carving board. Let rest in a warm place for 30 minutes. Dipping Sauce A beautiful sauce can be made from the drippings of this incredible bird. 1) Strain the juices from the roasting pan into a saucepan. 2) Put the saucepan in the FREEZER for 15 -20 minutes to allow the fat to come to the top and start to solidify. 3) Skim all the fat that you can from the drippings and put the saucepan on the stove and bring to a simmer. 4 ) Make a slurry from the corn starch and cranberry juice. Measure out 4 cups of defatted pan drippings, if you have more than 4 cups add 1 Tbsp each of corn starch and cranberry juice per cup of extra drippings, if you have less, add broth to the drippings to make up the difference. 5 ) Quickly whisk the slurry into the 4 cups of the simmering drippings, it will thicken immediately. Place your dipping sauce in ramekins or a gravy boat and garnish with toasted sesame seeds. Vegetable Tofu "Fried" Rice Stuffing Note: This recipe calls for freshly cooked rice not leftover. When cooking the brown rice, cook the rice with a 1:1 ½ rice to water ratio. The rice needs to be firm to accept the additional moisture from the soy sauce. 1 ) Drain the tofu, place on paper towels and pat dry. Cut the tofu into approx. ½ inch cubes. 2 ) In a large bowl, mixing well to ensure each grain of rice is coated, combine the hot brown rice and Tamari. 3 ) In a large frying pan over medium high heat add the vegetable oil. Carefully add the tofu to the hot oil several cubes at a time keeping the cubes in a single layer, frying the tofu cubes in batches if necessary. Lightly fry the tofu cubes for 1-2 minutes on each side. The cubes should be just set and not deep fried; when each cube is a light golden color on all sides add them to the rice. 4 ) In the same pan turn the heat to high and add the beaten eggs. When the eggs begin to set and puff up, carefully scramble breaking them into bite size pieces until cooked through. Add the eggs to the rice. 5 ) In a frying pan over med high heat, add onions and sauté for 4 minutes until golden brown and beginning to caramelize. Add the peas and carrots and cook until heated through. Add to rice. In the same pan dry sauté the Napa cabbage until it begins to soften and crisp around the edges and add to the rice. Add the sliced raw green onion to the rice, tofu and vegetable mixture and toss to combine. Option: The rice can be put into a lightly oiled casserole dish and baked like stuffing at 325°F for 30 minutes and served as a side dish.

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Sesame Ginger Glazed Turkey w/ Vegetable Tofu "Fried" Rice Stuffing

Sesame Ginger Glazed Turkey w/ Vegetable Tofu "Fried" Rice Stuffing