With Christmas festivities being smaller this year it makes sense that the usual traditions would be scaled down also. This definitely doesn’t mean skimping on the turkey! Cooking a whole bird is not practical for small groups so I have found that turkey thighs are a huge win!
Smaller groups also allow for a bit more variation in flavours because you’re likely to have fewer picky eaters, etc.
I have created a turkey thigh roast that is filled with Asian flavour right throughout as a result of the butterflying.
Let’s get cooking…
Start by butterflying the turkey thigh join, basically you need to cut along the bone so that the meat pulls away from the bone so that you end up with a flat piece of meat. Then season both sides with salt and pepper.
In a pestle and mortar, crush together the basil and spring onion until paste like, then add in the ginger and garlic, mayonnaise and spice blend and mix thoroughly. Spread half the mixture evenly over the inside of the turkey thigh and the remaining half over the skin.
Roll the meat into a log, skin side up and place in a roasting dish so that it fits snugly. Roast at 170C for 1 ½ to 2 hours depending on the size of the joint, basting every 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- Asian spice blend
1 tblsp Paprika
1 tsp Sesame seeds
½ tsp ground Cumin
½ tsp ground Coriander
1 tsp ground Garlic
1 tsp Szechuan pepper corns
1 tsp Sugar
1 tsp ground Ginger
1 tsp ground Chilli
- Turkey
1 turkey thigh, butterflied
Salt to taste
Pepper
1 tblsp of spice blend
¼ cup loosely packed Basil
3 Spring onions, roughly chopped
2 tblsp mayonnaise
1 tsp Ginger and garlic paste
Directions
- Start by butterflying the turkey thigh join, basically you need to cut along the bone so that the meat pulls away from the bone so that you end up with a flat piece of meat
- Then season both sides with salt and pepper
- In a pestle and mortar, crush together the basil and spring onion until paste like, then add in the ginger and garlic, mayonnaise and spice blend and mix thoroughly
- Spread half the mixture evenly over the inside of the turkey thigh and the remaining half over the skin
- Roll the meat into a log, skin side up and place in a roasting dish so that it fits snugly
- Roast at 170C for 1 ½ to 2 hours depending on the size of the joint, basting every 30 minutes.
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