LEMONGRASS-RUBBED TURKEY WITH STICKY RICE STUFFING
Ham with Chinese hot mustard and dinner rolls with scallion butter were two of the dishes you’d find on Bryant Ng’s parents’ Thanksgiving table. “They were inspired by traditional Thanksgiving but always had some Chinese or
Singaporean influence,” says Ng, who co-owns Cassia, in Los Angeles. Here, he re-creates the centerpiece of his childhood holiday—turkey stuffed with Chinese-sausage sticky rice.
Serves 6 For the turkey and stuffing
1 12-lb turkey, brined with equal
parts salt and sugar
4 tbsp minced ginger
2 onions, minced
8 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp canola oil
½ cup dried shrimp
1 cup Chinese sausage, cut in
½-inch dice
2½ cups jasmine rice, rinsed and
soaked overnight
½ cup sweet glutinous rice, rinsed
and soaked overnight
10 dried shiitake mushrooms, rehydrated in warm water, sliced ¼ inch thick
3 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
Salt and white pepper
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup chopped scallion tops
For the mop
2 stalks lemongrass, outermost layer
peeled, bulbs finely chopped 1 shallot, chopped
2 tsp sugar
¼ cup fish sauce
½ cup honey
2 tsp soy sauce 1 tsp rice wine vinegar 1 tbsp sriracha sauce 2 tsp salt
2 tsp turmeric powder 1. Prepare turkey two days ahead: After first night in brine, wash brine off and pat turkey dry. Chill in the fridge overnight, uncovered, to dry skin. Remove and allow it to come to room temperature.
2. Meanwhile, make the mop: Place all ingredients in blender and puree until smooth. Reserve.
3. Make the stuffing: Sweat ginger, onions, and garlic in canola oil over medium heat. Add shrimp, sausage, and rices, and stir to mix. Add mushrooms, fish and soy sauces, and salt and pepper to taste. Add stock ½ cup at a time until the rice is cooked, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in scallions. Cool completely.
4. Heat oven to 350°F. Cook turkey breast-side up 12 minutes per pound. With 60 minutes left, remove turkey from oven, fill cavity with stuffing, brush exterior with mop, and return to oven. (If it looks too brown, tent with foil.) Continue to roast until turkey reaches 165°F on an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the bird. Remove from oven
and allow turkey to rest for 30 minutes before slicing.