Chinese Five Spice Turkey: An Ode to My Mother

This year's Chinese Five Spice Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe is an ode to my mother. When we immigrated to the United States from Latvia over 22 years ago, my mother was fascinated by the variety of cuisines that existed in America. We quickly assimilated to Sizzler and Chinese take-out. Over the years, my mother began attempting to create many of the dishes we ate at our favorite Chinese restaurants. Chow Mein, BBQ pork, Peking Duck, and Fried Rice became regulars at our dinner table. As a teenager with an eating disorder, I didn't appreciate the effort and creativity that was involved in creating such culturally foreign dishes. But now as a grown woman who also loves being creative in the kitchen, I do.

Photo Credit: Ayesamson via Flickr

Like most people, Thanksgiving is all about family for me. I love that as immigrants, we always come together and celebrate this quitessential American holiday. For my family, the dishes on the table are always a hybrid of the world we left behind and the world that accepted us with open arms.

My mother was never a fan of making the Thanksgiving turkey. The large bird was somehow too foreign to her and because she refuses to follow recipes, her Thanksgiving turkey was often dry and flavorless. On my first Thanksgiving with my husband, he took over making the turkey (which came out crispy and juicy) and my mother was happy to pass the reins on to him from then on.

This year, I've decided to take the torch  and create my own unique spin on Thanksgiving turkey while honoring my mother's creativity in the kitchen. And so Thanksgiving 2012's centerpiece will be a Chinese Five Spice Turkey.

Chinese Five Spice consists of equal amounts of ground Sichuan pepper, fennel seed, cinnamon, star anise and cloves. The spice blend is said to be a perfect yin/yang balance of the 5 tastes:  salty, bitter, sour, sweet, and pungent. All of these spices have tremendous healing and digestive properties, which make them a perfect compliment for a holiday that is rooted in indulgence.

Ingredients:

For the Brine:
1 gallon vegetable stock (make sure it's additive and MSG free if store bought)
1 gallon very cold iced water
1 cup sea salt
1/4 cup of cloves
1/2 cup black pepper
1/2 cup star anise
1/2 cup fennel seed
1/2 cup star anise
10 cinnamon sticks
8 lemongrass stalks

Other Ingredients:
1 onion
1 apple
1 cinnamon stick
1 lemongrass stalk
1-2 tbsp Duck Fat


Process:

1. Don't forget to start defrosting your turkey 2-3 days before Thanksgiving.

2. Two days prior, in a large soup pot, combine vegetable stock, salt, and spices. Bring to boil, then simmer on medium low heat for 1 hour. Remove from heat and let cool.

3. The night before Thanksgiving, fill a 5 gallon bucket (I got one for free at my local Co-Op, Rainbow Grocery) with prepared brine and add iced water.

4. Remove innards/giblets from the Chinese 5 Spice Turkey and submerge it breast down in the bucket. You can place a bowl filled with something heavy or ice on top of the bird to keep it under water. Using a cheesecloth, gather all of the spices from the brine and place the "baggie" into the cavity.

5. Let the Chinese 5 Spice Turkey brine for 8-16 hours.

6. Once ready, remove Chinese 5 Spice Turkey from the bucket (discard brine), rinse inside and out and then pat dry.

7. Place Chinese 5 Spice Turkey into a roasting pan and tuck wings under.

8. In a sauce pan, combine a whole onion, whole apple, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 lemongrass stalk and water. Bring to boil and simmer on high for 5 minutes. Remove aromatics, discard water.

9. Once cooked, place the aromatics inside cavity of the bird

10.  Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Make a foil/parchment shield that covers the bird. Because I'm trying to avoiding using foil, I created a shield that is foil on one side and parchment on the other. Please see photos below. Rub the Chinese 5 Spice Turkey liberally with Duck Fat

11. Roast for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees. Cover turkey with foil/parchment shield. Insert thermometer into the thickest part of the breast.

12. Remove Chinese 5 Spice Turkey once the thermometer reads 161 degrees.

13. Let Chinese 5 Spice Turkey rest for 15-30 minutes before carving to allow for the juices to reabsorb.

14. Carve, Serve, and Enjoy!


Shared At: Frugally Sustainable, Real Food Wednesdays, Fresh Bites Friday, Monday Mania, Melt in Your Mouth Mondays, Fight Back Fridays, Sunday School, Family Table Tuesday