Found whole turkey on sale. This is my first time roasting a whole turkey about 4 kg. I search on google to know how long to roast. Most recipes say slow roasting and basting is best and temperature is 170-180 degrees C.

Got to be brave to try using turkey instead of chicken which we normally do for the past few Christmases. I am stuffing it with rice and some turkey meat, apricots, pine nuts, mushrooms, spring onion and parsley. For this whole turkey the basting is butter, garlic powder, ginger salt powder and honey.

I got my brother in law to help chopped the whole turkey. I almost forgot to take the picture. For our family, we love to chop our turkey instead of slices like most recipes does it. I am glad it turned out well, cooked and flavourful, moist and delicious. Let’s roast turkey with turkey rice stuffed in turkey. Merry Christmas everyone!!!

Ingredients

1 whole turkey 4 kg thawed, big enough for stuffing
160 g unsalted butter, softened
salt
ground pepper

Basting turkey

200 g unsalted butter, softened
2-4 Tsp garlic powder
2-4 Tsp ginger salt powder
1/2 c running honey

Rice

5 cups uncooked washed rice
5 Tbs olive oil
30-35 g butter
4-6 finely chopped garlic
1 L duck stock see Note below
2 chicken cubes or 2 Tsp powder stock 
1 1/2 thumb of ginger cleaned sliced into matchsticks or finely chopped
1 Tbs olive oil
1 1/2 Tsp salt to taste
use duck neck and bishop nose for extra fat and flavour (opt)

Turkey stuffing with cooked rice

160 g dried apricots, cuts into 6-8 pieces
18-20 medium size button mushrooms, cut into bite pieces
180 g cooked turkey meat, cut into bite size
180 g cooked ham meat, cut into bite size
1/2 c finely chopped parsley
3 stalks of spring onions, cut finely
200-230 g pine nuts
3 Tbs melted butter
1 Tbs olive oil
salt to taste
white pepper

Method

One day in advance: Clean the turkey with water and pat dry inside and out. In a bowl, softened butter and add salt and pepper. Then rub it generously on the skin and in between skin and meat of the turkey and also the cavity. Then transfer it into a rack with deep tray. Place back in fridge.

The next day cook rice: Heat 5 Tbs oil in deep pan for 1 minutes, then add butter until melted; cook ginger and garlic till fragrant and golden. Then add rice and stir well to coat in oil and butter. Transfer rice mixture to rice cooker. Next add duck stock, chicken cubes, duck neck and bishop nose cleaned, 1 Tbs oil and salt into rice mixture. Cook according to rice cooker’s manual instruction. (Note: make sure enough water). Once cooked open the cover of rice cooker to cool the cooked rice, discard duck neck and bishop nose cleaned and set aside.

To roast Turkey: Take the turkey out of fridge. Air dry turkey on bench top about 35-40 minutes at room temperature or until the skin surface is no longer wet. You can turn on a fan if in cool day – Winter. Meanwhile mix basting turkey ingredients well in a bowl. Set aside.

Prepare turkey stuffing with cooked rice: Toast pine nuts in a pan until light brown. Set aside. Next cut apricots, mushrooms, and turkey meat. Then finely chopped parsley and cut spring onion finely. Now spoon the rice into a big deep metal bowl; mix well all the cuts ingredients and chopped meat for stuffing. Season well with melted butter, oil, salt and pepper. Set aside until needed.

Heat up the oven 160 degrees C, place enough water in a deep pan into the oven. Put on gloves and place the turkey on a bucket to hold it up right for easy to stuff the prepared rice stuffing; use hand stuff as much of turkey rice in to the cavity, then use kitchen string tie up the legs and use a large safety pin pinup the bottom back meat with skin to the top of skin this to prevent the stuffing from falling out. (OPT). Place on a rack, brush the basting all over turkey and place it on top of the tray with water. Check that the water is enough before closing the door to roast turkey for 30 minutes. Remember the first time in oven where the legs are facing. Example first in legs are on your right hand.

Remove from oven after 30 minutes and turn the other side, baste some more basting all over in between the wings and legs. Repeat removing out from oven, baste and turn over now the leg position to the left, roasting for 30 minutes. Remove the tray with hot water carefully.

Now place the remaining turkey stuffing into another baking tray in the oven to collect some drippings into the turkey stuffing. Make sure turkey rice stuffing not burn, I put in after roasting turkey for 1 and 1/2 hours then cover with foil and continue roasting the turkey for further 30 minutes. Rotate the turkey for golden brown all around until cook about 1 hour 30 minutes- 2 hours 15 minutes. Oven temperature vary. So too the turkey size.

Remove turkey from oven, rest for 20-30 minutes. Check the turkey stuffing rice, not burned and season. Then bring out to chopping board to rest turkey further 15-20 minutes before cutting into pieces. Cut out the string and removed safety pin. Remove the rice stuffing from turkey and add it to warm up turkey rice stuffing. Mix them up. Now chop turkey and divide the turkey roast. Serve with the ham and turkey rice and other dishes. Enjoy!!!

Note: Place roast duck carcass in the boiling water for 2-3 times: boiling and discard water. This is to clean the gunk. Then rinse with cold water and place carcass in fresh boiling water for 35-45 minutes with 1 small thumb of ginger, cleaned, 1 carrot and 1 stalk celery roughly chopped; 1 medium size onion with 4 cloves inserted in onion; salt and black peppercorn; chicken cubes, neck and bishop nose, also duck neck and bishop nose washed and clean. Lower the heat to gentle simmer cover and uncover don’t want over boiled and spilled. Taste to see enough seasoning. Now discard all the ingredients except duck neck and bishop nose, strain and save 1 L stock for cooking turkey rice, add extra if needed more. You can use chicken carcass or chicken cubes o chicken stock.

https://helenscchin.com/2022/12/24/turkey-roast-with-turkey-rice-stuffing/

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