BOXING DAY TURKEY CURRY BUFFET ANYONE?
Bridget Jones’ mother had the right idea with her annual turkey curry buffet; the perfect occasion to finish off the Christmas turkey and marry off single daughters to potential suitors.
Boxing Day is ideal for having friends and family over during the holiday season, to eat, drink and get very merry; all whilst wearing the most garish festive-themed clothing your great aunt kindly gifted you.
Turkey is a great meat to take on aromatic flavours, and really works well within curries. Whether you’re creating your own spice blend or using a shop brought curry paste, impress your guests with your ability to transform your Christmas meat into something new and exciting.
Keep the curry aromatic rather than spicy to accommodate all guests, offering toppers and garnishes such as chillies, coriander, cooling raita and toasted nuts, for people to add themselves.
Pair your side dishes to compliment the curry; use up leftover roast potatoes in a saag aloo, tempura Christmas Day vegetables such as cauliflower, broccoli, and carrots, and why not try an Indian spiced brussel sprout?
I love Raymond Blanc’s recipe, it’s quick, easy and full of flavour.
Leftover Turkey Curry
Serves 4-6
1 large onion finely diced
50g unsalted butter
4 cloves of garlic finely grated
1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, finely grated
2 red chillies, finely chopped
6 cardamom pods
3 cloves
2tsp coriander seeds
2tsp cumin seeds
10 black peppercorns
2 tins of chopped tomatoes
4 pinches of sea salt
500g leftover turkey meat, diced into 2cm pieces
In a medium saucepan covered with a lid, on a medium heat, sweat the onions in butter for 5 minutes until they are soft and cooked through.
Remove the lid and continue to cook until the onions start to caramelise. Continue to brown the onions for 5 minutes, stirring from time to time to achieve an even golden colour.
Add the garlic, ginger, chilli, stir and cook for 30 seconds to cook out the rawness.
In a separate small frying pan, on a high heat, gently toast the spices for a minute, before taking off the heat and grinding to a fine powder.
Add this to the onions and cook for 30 seconds.
Stir in 2 tins of chopped tomatoes, bring to a simmer and season to taste. Turn the heat to a medium and leave to reduce by a third.
Add the cooked turkey meat, cover with a lid and leave on a low heat for a minimum of 15 minutes.
When ready to serve, taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
Serve with rice of choice