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.