turkey rice (火雞肉飯) recipe
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This recipe is easily scaled up or down. You really only need to pay attention to the sauce ingredient amounts. Also, start making the broth the night before or early the day of. In a pinch, chicken works too (which often happens in Chiayi when turkeys are not widely available). This recipe serves about 10 people.
Ingredients
  • 3 to 4 pounds bone-in cooked turkey pieces, a mix of white and dark meat – You’ll need about 4 cups of shredded meat ultimately
  • up to ½ cup turkey drippings/grease, saved from prior cooking (if not used for gravy)
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • ½ cup dried fried shallots (If using fresh, use ¾ cup and slice thinly)
  • ½ teaspoon white pepper
  • 1 cup turkey broth, unsalted and warmed (made earlier from turkey bones)
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 4 tablespoons soy sauce
  • steamed rice
  • extra turkey broth (for rewarming meat if needed)
Instructions
  1. PREP WORK BEFORE COOKING: For the meat: Assess your leftover Thanksgiving turkey. I use the not-necessarily-cleaned bones for making unsalted broth, the bits of meat cooking for hours to become soft and easy to remove from the bones. Carefully separate the meat from the bones – you do not want to serve bone chips in the mix. You can also chop up some of the leftover turkey not added to make the broth and add to the shredded turkey. You’ll need about 4 cups of the shredded turkey. If you had turkey drippings from Thanksgiving and for some reason did not use all for gravy, here is the time to use them.
  2. If you don’t have turkey grease and/or shallot oil to make ½ cup, use pork grease or ghee. (I know, ghee is not Taiwanese. Just a last ditch alternative.)
  3. ACTUAL COOKING PART: Shred the 4 cups of turkey. Discard skin. Dice pretty finely: you want maximum turkey surface area to soak up the sauce.
  4. Heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Cook shallots to soften – this goes very quickly! Don’t burn. Move to paper towel-lined plate. Save this oil. (If you have enough turkey grease, you don’t need to do this step if you’re using dried, fried shallots.)
  5. Combine this cooking oil with turkey grease to equal ½ cup. Set aside.
  6. Mix the white pepper, 1 cup warmed turkey broth, soy sauce, cooked shallots, and sugar. Add the turkey grease.
  7. In each bowl, scoop some steamed rice, a mound of turkey, and a few spoonfuls of sauce. Serve hot.
  8. If rewarming the components, I like to rewarm the turkey with a spoonful of broth to keep it from drying out in the microwave. Everything stores well refrigerated for a few days.
Recipe by story of a kitchen at https://www.storyofakitchen.com/miscellaneous-recipes/holidays-birthdays/turkey-rice-%e7%81%ab%e9%9b%9e%e8%82%89%e9%a3%af-recipe-thanksgiving-leftovers-and-chiayi-%e5%98%89%e7%be%a9-memories/