Indian Spiced Turkey | Video

Indian spiced turkey. Bring an instant wow to your Thanksgiving table with this Indian inspired roast turkey recipe. A perfect balance of aromatic spices, beautiful citrus and rosemary transforms your favorite holiday roast into a delicious centerpiece.

When I was planning the Thanksgiving feast, I wanted to create a showstopper loaded with flavor and deliciousness. Without a doubt, the traditional roast turkey makes for the ultimate celebration dinner. But I wanted to give it a makeover with a spiced up version. I took a spicy approach with aromatic spices as the star ingredients. The sweet oranges add a flavorful addition to the roast turkey.

How To Make Indian Spiced Turkey

Start with brining the turkey. As you know, brining helps with maximum absorption of flavor and is the best way to make your roast more flavorful. Don’t worry. It’s super easy. Just follow the recipe instructions below.

Next up, the extra flavorful marinade. A simple combo of garlic, ginger, ground cumin, garam masala and red chili powder. Make a smooth paste with a little lemon juice and plenty of oil. And don’t forget to season with salt and pepper.

You’ll need to coat the turkey in this marinade. Make sure you cover every nook and corner so every part of this turkey will turn out to be super delicious. I also love to add a few slices of orange and rosemary sprigs to the turkey cavity. This will definitely add intense flavor. Now it’s time to roast the turkey.

Cover the turkey breast with aluminum foil because you don’t want to burn the skin. Place the turkey on the lowest rack of the oven. A 5 kg turkey will require about 3 to 3 1/2 hours to cook completely. Towards the end of cooking process, you’ll need to remove the foil from the turkey.

I also made a beautifully delicious gravy to go with your favorite Thanksgiving dinner. All the pan juices go into this gravy to make it super delicious.

I really love to serve this Indian spiced turkey with spicy mashed potatoes. A delectable combo, indeed!

More Roast Turkey Recipes:

• Tandoori Turkey with Homemade Gravy
• Cajun Turkey
• Butterflied Roast Turkey

Leftover Turkey Recipes:

• Turkey Puffs
• Healthy Turkey Tacos
• Leftover Turkey Curry
• Turkey Fried Rice

Yield: 10

Indian Spiced Turkey | Video

Print

Delicious roast turkey marinated with aromatic spices

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 4 hours 4 seconds

Total Time 4 hours 30 minutes 4 seconds

Ingredients

• 5 kg whole turkey

Brine turkey:

• 20 cups water
• 2 cups vegetable broth (stock)
• 1 and 1/2 cups salt
• 4 dried bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 bunch fresh rosemary

Marinade:

• 2 tablespoons minced garlic (garlic paste)
• 2 tablespoons minced ginger (ginger paste)
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin (cumin powder)
• 2 and 1/2 tablespoons garam masala
• 1 tablespoon (or more) red chili powder
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste (tomato purée)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Roast turkey:

• 1 orange, cut into chunks
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 2 large onions, peeled and cut into chunks
• 2 large carrots, peeled and cut into chunks

Homemade gravy:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons corn flour
• 2 cups chicken stock (broth)
• 1 teaspoon chopped rosemary
• Juice from the roasting pan

Instructions

Brine turkey:

1. One day before roasting turkey, boil 2 cups chicken stock (broth), salt, bay leaves, whole black peppercorns, cinnamon sticks and brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat.
2. Simmer, stirring, until salt is dissolved. Let cool for five minutes.
3. Place turkey in a large pot or bucket. Add 20 cups water, salt mixture and fresh rosemary leaves.
4. Make sure turkey is completely submerged in water. Add more water if needed.
5. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours, flipping turkey once.

Marinade:

1. Combine together garlic, ginger, ground cumin, garam masala, red chili powder, tomato paste, lemon juice and oil in a large bowl. Stir to make a smooth paste. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Spread one-third of the paste between the skin and flesh, taking care not to rip. Rub the remaining paste on to the outside of the skin throughout the entire bird. Place oranges and fresh rosemary in the turkey cavity.

Roast turkey:

1. Preheat oven to 220 C or 450 F with rack on lower position. Remove turkey from brine 1 hour before roasting. Pat dry inside and out. Discard brine.
2. Place turkey on the rack of the roasting pan. Cover turkey breasts with aluminum foil. Add diced onions and carrots to the bottom of the roasting pan.
3. Roast for 2 and 1/2 hours. Remove foil. Reduce heat to 180 C or 350F. Roast for 30 minutes or until the skin is golden and crispy. Once cooked, remove turkey from the oven and place in a serving dish.

Turkey gravy:

1. Place a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add butter. When it melts, add bay leaves. Allow to crackle. Add corn flour. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.
2. Add juice from roasting pan along with the cooked vegetables. Add chicken stock (broth) and rosemary. Stir. Bring to a boil. Simmer for about 20-30 minutes or until thickened with a pouring consistency.
3. Strain mixture. Serve sliced turkey with gravy.

Nutrition Information

Yield

10

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 736Total Fat 30gSaturated Fat 8gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 19gCholesterol 335mgSodium 6273mgCarbohydrates 24gFiber 2gSugar 16gProtein 88g

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