Leftover turkey curry

4-6

5 mins

15 mins

This is a quick and easy recipe for using up your leftover turkey after Christmas. Turkey is low in saturated fat, low in calories, and high in protein, B vitamins, selenium and phosphorus so don't waste it! It is up to you how spicy you want to make this curry but I would always recommend tasting a little of the raw chilli before you add it to the pot as they all vary in heat. You can make the base for the curry well in advance and freeze it until required.

Ingredients Required

For the turkey curry:

1: Large onion, large, finely-diced

50g: Butter, unsalted

4 cloves: Garlic, finely-grated

1 thumb: Ginger, finely-grated

2: Red Chillies, finely-chopped

6: Cardamon pods

3: Cloves

2tsp: Coriander seeds

2tsp: Cumin seeds

10: Black peppercorns

2 tins: Chopped tomatoes

4 pinches: Sea salt

500g: Leftover turkey meat, diced into 2cm pieces

For the cucumber raita (optional)

150ml: Natural yoghurt

1/4: Cucumber, de-seeded and diced

Cooking Method

Step 1

In a medium saucepan covered with a lid, on a medium heat, sweat the onions in the butter for 5 minutes until they are soft and cooked through. Remove the lid and continue to cook until the onions start to caramelise. Continue to brown the onions for 5 minutes, stirring from time to time to achieve an even golden colour. Add the garlic, ginger, chilli and cook for stir for 30 seconds to cook out the rawness.

Step 2

In a separate small frying pan, on a high heat, gently toast the spices for a minute, before taking off the heat and grinding to a fine powder. Add this to the onions and spices and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in 2 tins of chopped tomatoes, bring to a simmer, season and taste. Turn the heat to medium and leave it to reduce by a third.

Step 3

Add the cooked turkey meat, cover with a lid and leave on a low heat for a minimum of 15 minutes. When you’re ready to serve, taste one final time and adjust the seasoning if necessary. If you find it is a little too hot, you can always serve a little raita on the side to cool the intensity of the curry. To make the raita, simply mix the yoghurt and cucumber together. A little chopped mint would also be nice. Serve the curry with a generous helping of wholegrain rice and garnish with a sprig of coriander and sliced spring onions if you wish.