Ainsley demonstrated this alternative festive dish on the Big Kitchen Stage at the BBC Good Food Show Winter 2022!
A super-tasty Korean-inspired chilli turkey dish with crunchy greens – so good you’ll think twice about ordering a takeaway! Gochujang has quite a kick so adjust according to taste or, if you prefer, you can swap for a sriracha or sweet chilli sauce – although it’s really worth trying the Korean spice paste for its complex savoury and sweet spice. Feel free to mix up the veggies to use whatever’s in season and serve with some steamed rice. Also a great way to use up leftover turkey – just skip the cornflour.
You can catch Ainsley cooking live in the Big Kitchen on Sunday 18th June at the BBC Good Food Show Summer 2023!
Ingredients
3 tbsp rice wine, mirin or dry sherry
3 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
500g turkey breast thinly sliced
2 tsp cornflour
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp Gochujang paste
1 tbsp honey
3 tbsp groundnut or sunflower oil + extra for frying
5cm piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks
1 medium-hot red chilli, de-seeded and sliced (optional)
3 spring onions, trimmed and cut into 2cm pieces
1 large courgette, trimmed and cut on the diagonal into 5mm slices
200g savoy cabbage, stems and ribs removed, thinly shredded
2 shallots, finely sliced
150g sprouts, shredded
To finish:
2 tsp sesame seeds, toasted
1 spring onion, trimmed and shredded
Steamed rice, to serve
Method
1 Mix 1 tbsp of the rice wine, 1 tbsp of the soy sauce and 1 tbsp of water in a shallow dish and add the turkey slices. Toss to coat, mixing well until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Add the cornflour, garlic, a good grind of pepper and 2 teaspoons of the sesame oil, and mix again. Cover and leave to marinate for 20 mins.
In a small bowl, mix together the remaining rice wine, soy sauce, the Gochujang paste, honey and 1 tbsp hot water. Mix together until well combined, then set aside.
Add a drizzle of oil to a frying pan over a medium high heat. Add the shallots and cook for 8 mins until caramelised. Add the shredded sprouts and cook for 3-4 mins until softened and slightly charred in places.
Heat a wok over a high heat and, when it is lightly smoking, add 2 tbsp of the groundnut oil. When hot, add the pork, stir- frying for 2–3 mins until seared and lightly golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate.
Add the remaining groundnut oil to the wok and stir-fry the ginger, chilli (if using) and spring onions for 30 secs. Add all the vegetables and stir-fry for 2–3 mins until they begin to wilt, then add the Gochujang mixture and cook, stirring, for 30 secs until aromatic.
Return the pork to the wok. Stir-fry for a final 1 -2 mins until the sauce has coated everything and the pork is cooked through. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining sesame oil. Finish sprinkled with sesame seeds and shredded spring onion.
Garnish the steamed rice with sprouts and onions and serve alongside the gochujang turkey.
Adapted from recipes in Ainsley’s Good Mood Food by Ainsley Harriott (Ebury Press, £20) Photography Dan Jones.
