About 2 weeks ago, my friend Tess, founder of Saucy, asked me to cook for a private dinner in LA in collaboration with Saucy and Stundenglass. Our guest of honor? Stoner Legend Tommy Chong. You guys might know him as Chong of "Cheech and Chong" and if you're a bit younger, you know him as Leo, the happy hippy, from That 70's Show with Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis. When Tess told me, I was so excited and we both knew exactly what I’d make- my mom’s famous Tandoori Masala Turkey. Last year, my family and I consciously made the decision to not make a traditional holiday dinner because, to put it simply, most “classic” American food lacks flavor for our sexy, spicy palate. (Cornbread dressing, not stuffing, is another discussion though- next year.) But really, as a family that was vegetarian for 20+ years, most of us didn’t enjoy the flavors of a traditional turkey. So last year we ditched the classic lemon-Lawry’s butter marinade and decided to “go home for the holidays” and use the spices and flavors we grew up on- spicy chilis, earthy cumin, astringent coriander, tart yogurt.
The signature red turkey is made with a masala (spice blend) boasting over 10 spices and traditionally cooked in a clay oven called a tandoor (hence the name ‘Tandoori’). We make our masalas from scratch at home (the same way my Nani used to) by toasting the whole spices and grinding them into a fine powder. However, making any masala is a process, so feel free to use a store bought Tandoori and Garam masalas instead. This step is cannabis infused with Saucy’s Sweet Heat BBQ Sauce. If Saucy isn’t available near you, skip the BBQ Sauce and substitute with our bhang infused ghee. Each serving yields about 1-2mg of THC/serving.
This year was my first year cooking a turkey without my Mom, and damn did I learn A LOT! Usually she does the brining and cleaning, and I marinade + cook, but this time I had to be a big girl and do it myself. For starters- make sure you don’t have a frozen turkey the day before you’re supposed to cook it. I made this mistake and ended up cashing out on a fresh one at a very bougie market in Santa Monica. Thaw that baby out in your refrigerator at least 2-3 days before you cook your turkey, so that the bird has an ample amount of time to soak up the delicious flavors of the marinade. Most folks recommend giving about 2-3 hours thaw time for every 5 pounds of turkey. Then, make sure you pull everything out of the turkey’s internal cavity. Yes, you gotta stick your hand in there. Usually, there’s a bag of gizzards (organs), a turkey neck, and sometimes a bag of… gravy? I’ll pass, Butterball. We make our gravy from scratch here. Anyways, a brine is optional before marinating your turkey, but washing is NOT. It is MANDATORY… y'all hear me?! Meat must always be washed before cooking- and I highly recommend washing it with salted water or a solution of apple cider vinegar water. This gets rid of any gamey flavor that can result during the cooking process. Don’t skip this step...you’ve been warned, haha.
Marinade your turkey well, and make sure to get UNDER THE SKIN! That’s where we want the flavor. I used a meat marinade injector to give our turkey a little extra juice, but make sure you blend your marinade in a blender to make it silky smooth so you don’t clog the injector.
There are many ways to cook a turkey. Since I made 3 turkeys for our private dinner, we cooked them 2 different ways: baked (of course) and air-fried + smoked with Stundenglass. Stundenglass is a high quality gravity bong inspired by the hourglass design. We used their signature Mesquite and Oak wood chips to infuse our turkey with a bold, smoky flavor. I think baking is the hardest method, and was lucky my friend Chef Kourt was there to help me cook the turkey to perfection. (Peep her mac and cheese- best ever! I ordered a personal family-size pan. Yes, you read that correctly.) I recommend cooking your turkey at a lower temperature- no higher than 375°F; give your turkey at least 13 minutes cooking time/pound if empty and 15 min/pound if stuffed. We stuffed our turkey with Turkey Neck Bhang Biryani. (I know, right?!)
Your turkey is gonna release some beautiful juices while cooking. These are called drippings. It’s a combination of fats and natural broth- use this to braise your turkey! This evenly cooks and browns your turkey. You can also use those drippings to make a delicious, masala spiced gravy. Just brown a tablespoon of flour in butter, whisk smooth to make a rue and add your drippings.
This turkey was a labor of love; I thought of my Mom the whole time I made it. She makes something so time-consuming look so quick and easy. Every holiday, she managed to work on the holidays (for that double pay) and still helped my sisters and I create incredible dishes that fused our Indo-Fijian heritage with our new American lives. I love her so much for that because it’s something I get to share with the world today. It was my mom’s way of resisting and holding on to a culture that this country works so hard for us to forget. Immigrants leave their families, friends and homes in search of a better life, but are welcomed in this country with hardship and loneliness. Immigrants and indigenous people are stereotyped, made fun of, and exploited, but manage to resist everyday by simple acts, like making a meal.
Tandoori Masala Turkey:
This recipe is for a 12-16 pound turkey.
Prep time: 4 hours - overnight
Cooking time: 4-5 hours (oven method)
Brine:
12-16 pound turkey
3-4 gallons of water
1 cup apple cider vinegar
2 cups brown sugar
1 ½ cups salt
8 curry leaves, torn (or 4 bay leaves)
3 cinnamon sticks
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
¼ teaspoon carom seeds
1 tablespoon black peppercorn
1 teaspoon white peppercorn
Marinade:
1 ½ cups of Tandoori Masala Mix or 2 packets Shaan Tandoori Chicken Masala
2 cups yogurt
1 cup saucy BBQ sauce
3 tablespoons of garlic
3 tablespoons of ginger
2 tablespoons of finely chopped coriander leaves/fresh herbs (if using rosemary, do not chop, just add a few sprigs of fresh herb)
2 tablespoons Garam Masala
1 tablespoon Turmeric
1 cup Ghee or oil
4 Lemons, zested and juiced
Tandoori Masala Mix:
2 ½ tablespoons Cumin (powdered)
3 tablespoons Garam Masala
3 tablespoons Ancho Chile (powdered)
1 tablespoon cardamom powder
¼ cup Paprika
3 tablespoons Garlic Powder
3 tablespoons Onion Powder
2 tablespoons Ginger Powder
2 tablespoons Amchur Powder (dried green mango)
2 tablespoons Sugar
¼ cup Salt
Whisk all of your dry spices until evenly mixed. This is your Tandoori Masala.
Step 1:
Make your brine! Choose a tall, vertical pot to mix your brine in. Make sure the pot is big enough so the turkey can sit upright and the brine covers the entire bird. Wash your turkey down really well with a separate mixture of 5 parts water, 1 part salt. In the large pot, mix all of the brine ingredients until salt and sugar are completely dissolved. Add your turkey to the pot and refrigerate. Let your turkey brine for 4-6 hours.
Step 2:
Whisk all of the marinade ingredients together. Allow to sit for at least 1 hour so that the flavors can permeate. Set ½ a cup of your marinade aside.
Step 3:
Remove your turkey from the brine. Pat dry with paper towels.
Step 4:
Rub that marinade all over your turkey! (I suggest using your hands!) Massage your bird making sure to pay great attention underneath the skin. Remember to marinate the inside cavity as well and stuff with hearty cuts of onions, garlic, carrots, bell peppers, and celery. You can inject the marinade inside the turkey as well. This is a very important stage because it seasons your bird, so take your time to dress it up. The yogurt and ghee in the marinade will make sure your holiday roast is tender and juicy.
Step 5:
Very loosely cover your bird and set back in the fridge to marinate for another 4-6 hours. The air circulation in the fridge will begin to dry the skin so that it seals the juices and crisps nicely when cooked.
Step 6:
Preheat your oven to 375° F. Wrap your turkey in foil “tent-style” making sure that the edges are sealed tightly. Put the turkey in the oven and lower the temperature to 350° F. Cook your turkey for 13 minutes/pound if empty and 15 min/pound if stuffed. Remove the foil when the turkey thigh reaches about 150-165° F and allow the skin to brown for another 15-20 minutes.
Step 7:
At long last, your Tandoori Masala turkey is ready to eat! Well, almost. Allow your turkey to rest at least 15 minutes before carving. This is an important step!!! Resting gives the roast some time to let the juices set. If a roast is cut too early, all the juices can flow onto the cutting board and leave the meat dry. For more turkey roasting tips, click here.
Comments