A Chinese red braise is a wonderful cooking method for all kinds of poultry, including chicken and quail. It keeps meat beautifully juicy, which makes it perfect for the centrepiece Christmas turkey.
Red braised turkey with pickled radishes
Rodney Dunn recipe for red braised turkey with pickled radishes.
- 20 mins preparation
- 2 hrs 20 mins cooking plus salting
- Serves 8
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Ingredients
- 3 kg turkey
- To serve: thinly sliced spring onion and steamed jasmine rice
Pickled radishes
- 600 gm radishes, halved lengthways if large
- 1 tbsp sea salt
- 250 ml (1 cup) cider vinegar
- 220 gm (1 cup) caster sugar
Red braising stock
- 375 ml Shaoxing wine
- 250 ml (1 cup) dark soy sauce
- 125 ml (½ cup) light soy sauce
- 220 gm (1 cup) yellow rock sugar
- 6 garlic cloves, crushed
- ½ cup thinly sliced ginger
- 4 spring onions
- ½ tsp peanut oil
- 5 star anise
- 4 pieces of cassia bark
- 1 piece of orange peel
Method
Main
- 1For pickled radishes, place radishes in a large bowl, scatter with salt, toss to coat well and set aside for 1 hour. Meanwhile, stir vinegar and sugar in a saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves. Refrigerate until required. Rinse radishes under cold water, then place in pickling liquid and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Pickle will keep refrigerated for up to 2 months.
- 2For red braising stock, place all ingredients and 3 litres of water in a large saucepan, bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
- 3Add turkey to red braising stock and cook, just simmering, until skin recedes from the end of the legs (about 2 hours). Remove from stock, scatter with spring onion and serve with a little of the stock, steamed rice and pickled radishes.
Notes
Drink Suggestion: Bottle-aged sparkling shiraz. Drink suggestion by Max Allen