Geet’s Kitchen

Turkey and Mango bring the best of Christmas cooking

Geetha Nair – 

geetskitchen@gmail.com

I embarked on writing this cookery column (published in the first issue of every month) as a tribute to my dearest mother. She taught me the domestic science before I left my corporate life with an American multinational company in Singapore and married Daran Nair and moved to New Zealand.

My mother epitomises one fundamental rule in any kitchen – even the humblest food, when cooked and served with love, is food that is relished. My parents are from Kerala and so many of the Indian dishes I grew up on are essentially the coastal cuisine of this South Indian State. I was born and raised in cosmopolitan Singapore and therefore was privileged to be exposed to a diverse range of cuisines from a young age as the city is a melting pot of cuisines from around the world and is often referred to as a food paradise.

Global Indian

I went to university in Canada and my work required me to travel as well. In a nutshell, I am what you call a progressive ‘Global Indian.’

I do not restrict myself to all things Indian. When it comes to the culinary world, I am open to eating or cooking any type of food as long as it tickles the taste buds and fascinates the palate. Marrying Daran catapulted me to a newfound challenge; I was not just a life partner but a mother to his three children and an instant family meant whipping up sumptuous meals to entice them!

We have had one more child together since and after 13 years I must say that I have come a long way thanks to my most ardent fan, my dear Malaysian born and bred husband.

Apart from evolving into a more passionate cook, I have also learnt to be efficient in the kitchen without compromising on the output as I have to multi-task and help Daran at his accounting practice and run my own businesses as well. So when I was approached to take on this cookery column, I was urged to showcase what I cook for my family and friends – simple dishes from around the globe which I have tweaked to suit our palate.

Roast Turkey

For this edition, I hope you will be adventurous and experience the holiday season with festive food which you do not have to spend hours toiling over.

For starters, try the Asian style seafood fritter commonly found on brunch menus at cafes.

It is full of flavour because the Asian herbs and spices complement the delicate fish and prawn meat really well!

Geet’s Roast Turkey uses a flavoured butter as a marinade and is a modern Indian take on a traditional Christmas main.

Turkey is foreign to many people and although lean and quite a bland meat, the festive period is not complete unless you serve a roast Turkey! Having spent my university days in Canada, where a roast Turkey is a must for Thanksgiving and Christmas, I have continued the tradition at our home.

The Turkey is marinated overnight and has a hint of spice but a traditional apple and chestnut stuffing. Like cloves on ham, I find that tossing a few anise seeds in the pan and in the cavities of the Turkey helps infuse its wonderful sweet spicy aroma into the bird while roasting. While the Turkey is in the oven, prepare some roast potatoes and a salad and your main meal is done. For Dessert, since mangoes are in season, I suggest an easy and light Mango Mousse, which should be prepared the evening before and chilled overnight.

These recipes will enable you to relax and enjoy the day with your family and friends instead of slaving in the kitchen.

Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!

Recipes

All recipes serve a family of four to six persons.

Seafood Fritters

Ingredients

300g of white fish

300g of raw prawns – thawed if frozen

1 knob of ginger – peeled

6 cloves of garlic – peeled

1 lemon grass

2 kaffir lime leaves

3-4 fresh red chillies

1 large red onion – chopped

1 bunch of coriander leaves – chopped

2 stalks of spring onions – chopped

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp shrimp paste (available at Asian grocer or International food section of supermarket)

2 tsp salt

1 tbsp fish sauce (available at Asian grocer or International food section of supermarket)

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp of rice flour

1 egg

Enough oil to deep fry

Method

1. Place the fish, prawns, ginger, garlic, lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves and chillies in a food processor and blend till smooth.
2. Place the mixture into a large bowl. Add the chopped onions, coriander leaves and spring onions and mix well.
3. Then add the cumin and turmeric powder and shrimp paste, salt, fish sauce, olive oil, rice flour and egg and mix well. Taste and adjust seasoning.
4. Using wet fingers/palm, divide mixture into small portions and shape with fingers.
5. Heat up enough oil in a pan and deep fry the shaped portions for about 3 or 4 minutes on medium heat until cooked through and golden brown.
6. Drain on paper towel and serve piping hot with dipping sauce.

Dipping Sauce

1 lemon or 2 limes – juiced
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp grated palm sugar
1 tsp sesame oil
I red chilli – chopped finely
1 stalk of spring onion – finely chopped
Method

Mix all the ingredients together. Taste and adjust the flavours to taste. It should be sweet, salty, sour and hot!

Geet’s Roast Turkey

1 size 3 Turkey – 2.75 to 3kg to serve 4 to 6 people (defrost for 24 to 48 hours)

150g of butter

2 tbsp of honey

2 tsp of chilli powder (mix regular chilli with Kashmiri chilli for colour)

1 tsp of cumin powder

6 cloves of garlic – grated to a pulp

1 tbsp of finely chopped fresh sage

3 tsp of salt

3 or 4 star anise

1 cup of stock

Deep heavy roasting pan

Rack to place in roasting pan

Foil
Skewer

Kitchen twine

Stuffing

1 cup peeled and chopped apple

1 cup of chopped chestnuts

1 cup of breadcrumbs

1 onion – chopped

2 cloves garlic – chopped

1 tbsp of chopped fresh sage

½ tsp of salt

½ cup of stock or water

Olive oil

Note: Cooked and peeled chestnuts in vacuum sealed cans will be available in most supermarkets during the Christmas Season.

Method

1. Thaw the frozen Turkey for at least 24 to 48 hrs in the refrigerator
2. The evening before the Turkey is to be roasted and served, the thawed Turkey should be washed and patted dry so that it can be marinated overnight
3. For the marinade, prepare the flavoured butter by mixing the butter, chilli powder, cumin powder, grated garlic, finely chopped sage and salt
4. Rub the marinade all over the Turkey inside and out all through the cavities and under the skin. The Turkey should be well seasoned and hence the excessive use of salt
5. Set aside to marinate overnight in the refrigerator
6. In the morning, take it out of the refrigerator while preparing stuffing as Turkey should be at room temperature before roasting
7. You require 20 minutes of roasting per 500g of meat. Hence 3 kg of Turkey will take about two hours in the oven.
8. For the stuffing, lightly saute the chopped onions and garlic in olive oil. Add the chopped sage and mix well and take off the flame.
9. Place the mixture in a bowl and add breadcrumbs, stock/water and mix well till it becomes crumbly
10. Add the chopped apples and chestnuts and mix well
11. The mixture should be cool before stuffing Turkey
12. Preheat oven to 200 degrees C at fan bake function
13. Loosely fill both neck cavity and big cavity with stuffing. Do not overstuff
14. Stuff a star anise each in each cavity for flavour to infuse while roasting
15. Fold over the skin at the neck cavity and secure with skewer
16. Tuck the wings and tie the legs together with kitchen twine
17. Place a rack on the roasting pan and place the stuffed Turkey on the rack
18. Rub any remaining marinade on the Turkey
19. Add the cup of stock in the pan so that the bird is moist while roasting. Place 2 anise seeds in the stock
20. Loosely cover the Turkey with foil
21. Place on the lowest rack in the preheated oven
22. Roast Turkey for the first hour without basting and then baste with drippings every 30 minutes for the rest of the period. Top up the pan with more stock if drying up
23. If the Turkey is golden brown after first hour, turn down heat to 180C for the remaining hour.
24. After two hours, remove and leave the Turkey to rest for at least an hour before carving and serving with gravy and roast potatoes and vegetables.

Gravy

Pan juices

Half to 1 cup stock
Dash of white wine

1 tsp of flour

1 tbsp of butter

Method

1. Put the roasting pan on the stove on low heat and deglaze the pan by adding a dash of white wine and then half a cup of stock or more depending on how much liquids remain after roasting
2. Once all the bits stuck to the bottom of pan dissolves, turn off flame and remove anise seeds and skim the fat off. Trick is to place the drippings in a bowl in the fridge and once the fat hardens, you can easily scoop it off
3. In a saucepan, heat the butter on low heat and then add the flour, mixing carefully to make a roux which will help thicken your thin gravy. Whisk gently so that it does not burn but is cooked through
4. Add the skimmed dripping gently into the roux and whisk so that there are no lumps
5. Taste and season if necessary before serving with carved Turkey

Note: Turkey is also traditionally served with cranberry sauce which is available at most supermarkets. It is a sweet sauce to complement the salty gravy. For those who prefer a spicy hot condiment, provide hot tomato chutney as an option.

Mango Mousse

1 can (375ml) of Carnation full cream evaporated milk – chilled in refrigerator

375ml of mango puree

100g of caster sugar

3 tsp of gelatine powder

1 cup of water

1 ripe mango – peeled and chopped

Crushed biscuits

Extra mango puree to decorate

Method

1. Chill the evaporated milk overnight.
2. Pour the chilled milk into a large deep bowl and use an electric whisk to whip up the evaporated milk until stiff and forms peaks.
3. Add the castor sugar and continue whisking until well mixed.
4. Add the mango puree and whisk well.
5. Prepare the gelatine mixture by adding water to the gelatine powder.
6. Mix quickly until smooth.
7. Quickly add the smooth gelatine mixture to the whisked mango mousse and mix well.
8. Get about 6 clear glass dessert bowls and place some crunchy crushed biscuits at the bottom of each bowl, then some diced mango and a generous dollop of mousse. Drizzle some mango puree and then repeat with mousse.
9. Chill overnight in refrigerator until set. Place diced mangoes on top of each bowl before serving.

Handy Tips

Tasty Treat: For tasty cold finger food prior to your main meal, get a piece of smoked salmon and mix it with some light cream cheese, and a mixture of finely chopped red onions, green chillies and coriander leaves. Season with salt and coarsely ground pepper. This easy dish would go well on crackers or sliced baguette.

Roast Potatoes: When making roast potatoes for your main meal, boil the potatoes with jackets for 15-20 minutes. Then drain and add some butter, spices and herbs of your choice before roasting in the oven for about 20 minutes until cooked through and fluffy inside but crispy and golden on the outside.

Disclaimers: Geetha Nair and Indian Newslink absolve themselves of any responsibility relating to the ingredients, cooking methods and other matters relating to ‘Geet’s Kitchen’ column. Some ingredients may not be available and may cause allergy in some people. Caution must therefore be exercised and Geetha Nair and Indian Newslink will not be responsible to any health issues in this connection. Please consult your General Practitioner, Nutritionist or such others you may be consulting in connection with your dietary requirements.

Notes and Legends: 1. Quantities of sugar and salt are recommendations; please add or reduce to suit individual requirements 2. Tsp: Teaspoon Tbsp: Tablespoon