Sous Vide Turkey with Clay Bowl Sauce

The first time we made this sauce for clay bowl chicken from Fuchsia Dunlop’s “Every Grain of Rice”, we were blown away. It is a deeply complex matrix of flavors and textures while being painfully simple to put together. Dishes like these, Rachel will say, are greater than the sum of their parts. Made entirely from pantry items, this sauce elevates weekday dinners as well as being a standout on a party spread. It’s a winner.

This recipe takes this crowd pleasing sauce and pairs it with wild turkey. Cooking the turkey breast sous vide accomplishes two things- it infuses the meat with the ginger and scallion flavors, and also allows for an extended cook time to break down the tougher tissue in a wild bird. You're aiming for rotisserie chicken tenderness. Wild turkeys vary greatly in tenderness, so adjust your cook time accordingly. 

There are two parts to this recipe: cook the turkey, then make the sauce.

I cook the turkey via sous vide at 147F for 4-6 hours. Some smashed ginger and scallion in the bag impart bright flavors that contrast nicely with the boldness of the sauce. Ice bath the meat when it's done. Slice cross grain into bite size pieces.

Mix all the sauce ingredients and get your garnishes ready. It's that simple. This is almost exactly the same recipe as in Fuchsia Dunlop’s “Every Grain of Rice”,  I add a little more sesame oil and reduce the amount of chili oil. Adjust to your taste. 

A note on the sauce ingredients. This recipe calls for Chinese sesame paste. This is not the same thing as tahini. I will admit to having used tahini as a substitute on occasion, it's kinda close, but not the same thing. The chinese paste has deeper notes and a nuttier profile. You can find it in most asian grocery stores and online. If you're making this for the first time, I highly recommend getting the real thing.

Sous Vide Turkey with Clay Bowl Sauce

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 4 hours

Ingredients:

For the sauce:

1 tbsp light soy sauce

½ tsp sugar

2 tsp chinese sesame paste

½ tsp ground sichuan peppercorn

4 tbsp chile oil (with some sediment)

2 tsp sesame oil

For the turkey:

1-2 scallion whites

~2” ginger

Garnish:

Roasted or fried peanuts

Cilantro

Scallion greens

Sesame seed

Method:

Season turkey breast liberally with salt. Crush the ginger and scallion with a rolling pin. Place turkey, ginger, scallion and about a tablespoon of oil in a vacuum bag and seal. Place in a preheated sous vide set at 147F. Cook for 4-6 hours. When done, place in an ice bath to cool. You can cook this a couple of days ahead and keep it refrigerated. 

For the sauce, mix all ingredients together, add a splash of water or stock if it's too thick.

Slice or tear the turkey into bite size pieces and arrange in a bowl. Top with the sauce, and the garnishes.

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