Dressing the season with turkeys

checks out turkeys fair and fowl and tells us how to choose and cook the right bird for this Christmas Day lunch.

At Mainland China, the largest chain of Chinese restaurants in the country, there is a startling choice on the menu. You can take your pick of ginger-flavoured turkey, or Mongolian-style, sauteed in black bean sauce.

Or then, again, try the Dongan turkey, sliced and stir-fried with hot pepper corns and dry red chillies, a guarantee that your Christmas day lunch, if indeed you have decided to make it a Chinese one, is going to be very different from the one American grandmoms have sold to the world at large.

Roast with cranberry sauce may be a Christmas stereotype, but it is a relatively new one. In the old world, it was goose that was traditionally associated with feasting and religion, standing, as a migratory bird, for change in seasons and, therefore, regeneration.

In America, tradition had to be tweaked and since turkey was plentiful (initially, it was used to describe any wild fowl), the founding fathers decided that it would find its way to dining tables henceforth (Nectar and Ambrosia: An Encyclopedia of Food in World Mythology, Tamra Andrews).

Thanksgiving customs have obviously extended to other times and climes and there seems to be no dearth of turkey around Christmas in India even though our own celebrations have traditionally incorporated everything from pulaos to appams and fish curries.

The demand "" and supply "" of turkey in the country is fairly seasonal and there are a few indigenous farms now that are ensuring birds of consistent quality.

The French Farm on the outskirts of Delhi and several around Pune (cookbook writer and food consultant Karen Anand recommends the James Smith company) are keeping local stores, patisseries, delis and restaurants well stocked with everything from whole birds to turkey ham, cured and smoked meat. However, most chefs recommend the imported Butterballs.

Chef Hemant Oberoi at the Taj Mahal Hotel, Mumbai, is in no doubt that the imported breed is superior and more succulent. "It just melts in your mouth," he says.

Delhi restaurateur Sudha Kukreja, who also has turkey on the menu at Ploof, says, "It gives you the satisfaction of red meat but is much healthier without any veins of fat."

In Kolkata, there's only one place where you can buy turkey "" outside the Hudco building behind New Market. It's not even a shop really, just a few large cane baskets stacked amidst rubble.

But Anand Kumar Sunkar, whose grandfather first began getting the birds from two villages near Allahabad and Bangalore 70 years ago, does brisk business with his desi turkeys around Christmas. Sunkar has around 420 birds this time, and the going rate is about Rs 300 per kilo. The bulk of his sales comes from clubs, which buy anywhere from 100 to 300 kilos for this season.

Imported turkey is priced at almost Rs 600 a kg "" and mind you, this is not the retail price that would be different (and more) in different cities "" which certainly means that you'll be less inclined to pronounce it as "just like chicken".

Western cookbooks suggest that about 2/3 pounds (about 300 g) is appropriate per person. But do hurry up while placing the order. At the well-stocked Steakhouse in New Delhi, for instance, all the Butterballs have already been reserved.

And Chef Oberoi is confident that the popular Taj Mahal hotel Christmas hampers (with a pudding included) will sell briskly indeed. "Every year, we sell 200-300 turkeys," he says.

Big Christmas day roasts (with or without the stuffing of bread crumbs) aside, turkey lends itself to a variety of preparations.

European-style broths entail simmering the meat with bones, and trimmings in a heavy-bottomed pot, there are casual turkey sandwiches to be had, turkey breast "" that is supposed to be very lean and healthy "" and there are innovations.

At Olive, New Delhi, Chef Saby has incorporated turkey into all the courses, including an antipasti of cheese and smoked turkey breast that comes complimentary.

There is also a classy smoked turkey breast topped with foie gras with a dressing of white truffle oil and aged balsamic. In case you want to stick with traditional fare "" and don't want to cook it at home "" a number of restaurants (including at most five-star hotels) are offering special Christmas day roasts, so go ahead and carve a slice.

Kolkata inputs by
Gargi Gupta

RECIPE

Roast turkey with stuffing and cranberry sauce and giblet gravy

4-5 kg whole turkey, 10 g salt,
5 g black pepper, 120 g onions,
chopped 1 corn bread, 20 g parsley, chopped 500 g chestnuts, 5 g dried thyme, 5 g dried sage, 30 ml turkey broth

Remove the giblet from the turkey, reserve for the gravy, rinse the turkey under cold water and drain well. Dry it with a paper towel. Sprinkle salt and pepper.

For the stuffing: Cut the corn bread into 1 inch cubes. In large bowl, mix the bread, chestnuts, parsley, thyme, sage and seasoning. Add turkey broth and stir to moisten. Place the stuffing in a baking tray, cover with a silver foil and bake for 45 minute at 350 degree F.

To roast: Preheat the oven to 325 degree F. Roast the turkey for 3-4 hours. Baste with tray juice. When the turkey becomes golden brown, cover it with silver foil and reduce the temp to 170 degree F. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 15-20 minutes before carving.

For the gravy: 30 g butter, 120 ml turkey broth, salt and pepper to taste, 20 g chopped onions, 30 ml dry sherry, turkey giblet.

Saute the onions and giblet in a pan, deglaze with sherry, add the broth and boil for 20 min on slow fire. Remove the giblet from the gravy and chop. Put back the chopped giblet into the sauce, add salt/pepper.

For the Cranberry sauce: 350 g cranberries, 30 ml balsamic vinegar, 50 g sugar, 5 g grated nutmeg, 3 g cinnamon powder

In a medium saucepan, combine cranberries, vinegar and sugar, bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat and stir in the nutmeg and cinnamon powder. Simmer for 20-30 min or until the mixture is thick. Cool and keep in a refrigerator.

Chef Surinder Malhotra,
The Metropolitan Hotel Nikko

HOW TO BUY AND COOK TURKEY

1. The ideal weight should be 4-6 kg so the meat is tender and succulent. Bigger birds can be tougher.

2. Make sure it is clean, particularly the stomach.

3. Some imported birds come with giblet (the innards) that makes your job easier.

4. Should be light pink in colour with no patches to show that the bird was injured.

5. There should be no bad odour and the flesh should have a nice, rounded appearance.

6. Make sure the skin is intact for a roast.

7. Marinate for a long time and slow roast for 3-4 hours.

Chef Saby, Olive