As the American Thanksgiving season is upon us, I thought I’d share my recipe (serves 4-6) for Madrasi Curry Turkey served atop a yam-apple slaw that I had entered into a TV chef competition on the Food Network’s Cutthroat Kitchen, hosted by *the* Alton Brown. Prepare the turkey and slaw simultaneously and you should be done and plating in an hour.

It’s all about the green apple slivers 🙂

Le Turkey:

3 lbs of turkey,  sliced into 2-inch strips (dark and/or light meat, however you like it)
1 large onion, chopped coarsely
1-inch piece of fresh ginger, sliced finely
2-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 tsp madras curry powder (you can find this pre-mixed in stores)
5 green cardamon pods
2-3 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 Granny Smith apple, sliced into triangular slivers, at the very end just before plating
[optional: a dried chilli pepper or 1-2 finely sliced bird’s eye chilies]
a little water on hand

In a large sauté pan, heat up the oil at medium-low heat. Toss in the onions and garlic and cook until the onions become translucent. Add in ginger, curry powder, cardamon pods and chilies, if using, and turn heat up to medium. When the spices have nicely started roasting, toss in the turkey, a bit of salt and stir. Turn heat down to medium-low, add 1/4 cup water, cover and cook until the meat is done, possibly adding water every now and then to make sure nothing is burning in the pan. When the meat is ready, season with salt and pepper to taste.

Le Slaw:

2 medium-sized yams, peeled and julienned
1 french shallot, minced
2 small apples, julienned with the peel on
2 Tbsp olive oil
juice and zest of half a lime
1 Tbsp finely chopped mint
salt and pepper to taste

In a sauté pan, heat up the oil and toss in the shallots. When they become a little bit translucent, add in the yams. Stir, cover and cook at medium-low. When the yam is done, (soft but with a tiny bit of crunch left) empty into a mixing bowl. Let cool in the fridge until a little cooler than room temperature. Then add in apple, mint, lime zest and juice. Mix and season with salt and pepper.

Plate it!

Place a cushion of slaw on the plate and gently spoon over the turkey over top, drizzling a bit of the curry sauce. Garnish with green apple slivers and serve immediately!

Madrasi Turkey Curry atop a yam-apple-shallot slaw, garnished with Granny Smith apple slivers, yum!

Enjoy!