Vietnamese Coconut Braised Wild Turkey Thighs

Braised wild turkey on this umami-rich sauce is salty, candy, and satisfying

The primary time I ever cooked a wild turkey thigh, taken from a comparatively mature Tom, I used to be astounded at how… un-turkey-like it was. Huge, daring flavors, richness not usually present in home poultry, and an virtually beefy high quality that knocked my socks off.

Sadly, because it was my first time cooking a wild turkey thigh, I made the error that many others make and didn’t prepare dinner it for lengthy sufficient (regardless of cooking it for a number of hours). The consequence was a young piece of meat, however not so tender that I might shred it. As an alternative, I ended up consuming it with a knife and fork – pleasant, however not fairly what I used to be on the lookout for.

The subsequent thigh went higher; utilizing the teachings I’d realized with the primary one, I cooked it into submission and it shredded fairly properly. That daring taste was nonetheless there, and I got here to appreciate that this meat might stand as much as some fairly heavy-duty sauces or accompaniments on the plate.

Making use of that information, I made a decision that I might be cooking some smaller and youthful thighs from a Jake I shot this 12 months in a bolder sauce than earlier than. Now, the one query was which sauce?

One which I’d wished to strive making for fairly a while was a Vietnamese caramel sauce. This sauce is fairly ubiquitous in Vietnamese cooking, however is maybe most famously used within the dish Cá Kho Tộ, a clay-pot casserole with caramelized catfish. The strongly flavored catfish is tempered by the candy, bitter, and deeply savory notes of the caramelized sugar sauce.

Caramel sauce could seem a bit off-brand for Southeast Asian delicacies however, like so many Vietnamese dishes, this sauce and method was in all probability launched by the French throughout colonization, then taken by the Vietnamese who ran with it in an entire completely different course, producing a synergistic fusion a lot greater than the sum of its components. This may be seen in a lot of the delicacies, which is one in all my favorites. Some examples embody Vietnamese baguettes, chilly cuts, pâtés, phở (beefy rice noodle soups), omelettes, pancakes, espresso, and extra.

The essential recipe for the sauce begins with including sugar to an ungreased pot and letting it soften right into a liquid. The liquid then will get cooked till it develops a wealthy, brown hue, after which the protein is added to develop some coloration earlier than being braised in a mix of coconut water/juice, fish sauce, and typically soy sauce. Garlic, shallot, and chilies are then added to offer some aromatics so as to add additional taste to the sauce.

This all labored fantastically with the wild turkey thighs, which got here out candy and salty with deep umami notes and an total Vietnamese taste profile as a result of fish sauce and aromatics.

I like to recommend serving the shredded turkey thighs with steamed white rice and both steamed bok choy or recent cucumbers, garnished with recent herbs. This supplies a clean starchy canvas for the daring sauce, in addition to some recent crunch and herbaceous brightness for distinction.

For those who occur to run into Pink Boat model fish sauce, I extremely suggest utilizing it for this recipe. Admittedly, it’s a good bit pricier than the opposite fish sauces obtainable, however it’s a lot greater high quality, has higher taste, and is free from a number of the fillers, colours, and stabilizers which cheaper fish sauces comprise. A bottle of it is going to final you a very long time, which is okay, since these items will final endlessly within the pantry.

Braised and shredded turkey meat is coated in a caramel sauce and served with white rice and cucumber slices in a white bowl

Vietnamese Coconut Braised Wild Turkey Thighs

Adam Berkelmans

Salty, candy, and satisfying describes this braised wild turkey in a wealthy sauce

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook dinner Time 2 hours

Complete Time 2 hours 20 minutes

Course Most important Course

Delicacies Vietnamese

Servings 4

Energy 339 kcal

Season turkey thigh on each side with salt.

In a skillet (with a lid), pour within the white sugar and set to medium warmth. Stir the sugar round with a rubber spatula till it melts and finally turns a golden-brown coloration.

Add the turkey thigh and sear on each side till the sugar turns darkish golden brown.

Add the coconut water, fish sauce, garlic, chili, shallot and bouillon. Deliver to a boil, cut back warmth to medium-low and canopy.

Cook dinner for 2-4 hours, or till good and tender (prepare dinner time will rely upon the age and measurement of the turkey). Take off the lid and proceed cooking till the sauce turns into thick like a lightweight gravy.

Take away the turkey and tear it into massive bite-size shreds. Discard the bones and put the meat again into the sauce.

Serve on rice with steamed bok choy or seasoned cucumbers. Get pleasure from!

Energy: 339kcalCarbohydrates: 37gProtein: 24gFats: 10gSaturated Fats: 4gPolyunsaturated Fats: 3gMonounsaturated Fats: 3gLdl cholesterol: 70mgSodium: 1929mgPotassium: 983mgFiber: 3gSugar: 33gVitamin A: 109IUVitamin C: 23mgCalcium: 83mgIron: 3mg

Learn Extra

Wild Turkeys in Pennsylvania: A Conservation Success

An Introduction to Spring Turkey Searching

Turkey Meatballs with Smoked Poblano Cream Sauce

Adam Berkelmans

Adam Berkelmans, often known as The Intrepid Eater, is a passionate ambassador for actual meals and a proponent of nose-to-tail consuming. He spends his time between Ottawa and a comfy lake home north of Kingston, Ontario along with his associate, Kathy, and his Small Munsterlander, Arrow. When not cooking, he will be discovered looking, fishing, foraging, gardening, studying, touring, and discovering new methods to seek out and eat meals.

Source link