Vietnamese Style Turkey

A few weeks ago Evan interviewed Diep Tran from Good Girl Dinette in Highland Park. Diep and her family celebrate Thanksgiving with some exciting dishes you won’t find at most holiday tables this Thursday. In case you missed her on sideDish, you can hear Diep this Thursday on Good Food’s Thanksgiving show.

Her recipe for Paper Bag Vietnamese Style Turkey is here, after the jump.

Vietnamese-Style Turkey (for a 15- /20-lb turkey)

7 cloves

2 tablespoons ground coriander (fresh ground)

4 tablespoons ginger (about 2 inches of ginger), smashed

7 cloves garlic

1 medium white onion (about 8 oz)

¼ cup sugar

1 bunch green onions (cut into 2-in lengths)

¼ cup oil

½ cup fish sauce

3 tablespoons black pepper

Grind cloves into a powder.

Over medium heat, fry cloves, ground coriander, and ginger in a little bit of oil. Fry until coriander powder starts to darken and the ginger gets a bit caramelized.

Add garlic and white onion and fry until fragrant.

Transfer to food processor, add sugar and green onions, then process until ginger is finely ground.

Remove mixture from food processor and add fish sauce and black pepper. Stir to combine.

Rub mixture all over the outside and inside of the turkey, especially inside the cavity. Let turkey marinate for at least 2 days, up to 4 days.

On the day of cooking, rub the inside of a paper bag with butter, put the turkey in the bag, fold and close the bag, and put it into a roasting pan.

Roast at 375 degrees for 3-4 hours (start checking the turkey’s temperature 2 hours into roasting).