Leftovers 2: Turkey Tom Kha Gai Recipe

A warm fragrant bath of coconut milk, lemongrass and galangal (ginger’s more interesting cousin) seemed like the perfect place to put leftover turkey cubes and jiggly and rich turkey broth.

 

I adapted and probably bastardized this recipe from Bon Appetit. with a few modifications.

Turkey Leftovers Tom Kha Gai

6 cups of homemade turkey stock

1 can of coconut milk

1 1” if large, 2” if thinner piece of galangal, peeled (you will need a knife or peeler)

1 TB lime zest (If you have lime leaves, sub 10 leaves for this and the lime juice)

1 lime of juice

1 pound of cubed turkey meat, preferably thigh

½ pound of mushrooms (I used baby oysters, that are like sponges for flavor)

1 TB Agave Nectar

2 stalks of lemongrass, edible parts, chopped

½ cup of cilantro leaves

1 lime of lime wedges

Chili Oil

• Peel the galangal with a paring knife and chop into discs so it will infuse easier.

• Remove the top two thirds of the lemongrass stalk, and the dry outer leaves of the bottom parts. Slice into discs, which takes a bit of effort. If you prefer to bash it with the back of a heavy knife, that’s a bit easier.

• Put your broth in a medium saucepan with the galangal and lemongrass over high heat till it boils, then turn down to medium low and let it simmer for 15 minutes

• Strain out the woody galangal and lemongrass

• Add mushrooms and continue to simmer 20 minutes more unless you use baby oyster mushrooms or other tender mushrooms, like button or enoki, and then you can cut it back to 10.

• I also thin-sliced half-moons of one zucchini and 1/2 a persimmon (fall’s tomato) because it was on my cutting board and I wanted to add a bit more veggie content. Do you have a veggie that needs to be used (or reused? broccoli or cooked carrots would be good)

• Add turkey cubes, fish sauce, agave nectar, and warm everything through but don’t boil…it damages the coconut milk.

• Serve in bowls with lime wedges and let people add their own chili oil, to taste.

Yesterday’s Turkey Leftovers were Turkey Nachos.

Tomorrow’s Turkey Leftovers will be Turkey Tagine.