Turkey dinner was on this past weekend’s Sunday football menu, but since I already had a freezer full of turkey pot pie and soup, I was looking for something different for leftovers.

I thought of turkey enchiladas, turkey manicotti, or turkey tetrazzini, but decided to roam the web for something with Asian flavors and this Serious Eats recipe turned out to be a winner. This time I had cooked the bird breast-side down, so it was especially moist and perfect for shredding. The recipe is based on a popular street food dish in Taiwan and features tender chunks of turkey moistened with a sauce of turkey jus and soy that is fragrant with Sichuan peppercorns and enriched with rendered turkey fat.

Sichuan peppercorns can be found in Asian markets, though I order mine through Penzey’s. — Sichuan peppercorns

You’ll want to set aside some turkey drippings just to make this, and next time I’ll also save some crispy skin as a garnish.

Ingredients:

2 cups of shredded turkey meat
3 Tbsp to 1/4 cup of reserved turkey fat from drippings
1/2 cup of reserved roasted turkey juices from drippings
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns

Combine reserved turkey fat and and juices from the roasted turkey in a medium pot. Add water, sugar, soy sauce, Sichuan peppercorns, and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and white pepper. Bring mixture to a simmer, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Continue to simmer uncovered until sauce is reduced by half. Strain into a container or bowl. To serve, top rice with shredded turkey meat. and spoon sauce over. Garnish with fried shallots and cilantro or green onion.

Detailed recipe link here: https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2013/11/taiwan-eats-turkey-rice-with-or-without-leftovers-recipe.html

I didn’t have cilantro, so garnished with I’itoi’s onions from my garden.

Taiwanese Turkey Rice