Wild Turkey Pho
This wild-game take on a Vietnamese classic provides as much flavor as it does desire to fill the freezer with more wild turkey.
This wild-game take on a Vietnamese classic provides as much flavor as it does desire to fill the freezer with more wild turkey.
With turkey season being open in a few states already, some serious excitement is brewing among turkey hunters.
Our season here in Tennessee doesn’t open until Saturday, April 13th, but I can already hear and feel those Eastern gobbles in my chest. There’s still a chill in the air here; with that, I’m not quite ready to surrender the goodness that comes out of a kitchen during winter.
This recipe is a simpler take on a Vietnamese classic, yet it doesn’t sacrifice taste or complexity. The broth will be filled with depths of flavor added from the fish sauce, charred ginger and onions and all the potent spices such as star anise, cardamom, cinnamon and clove.
While warmer spring temperatures might be right around the corner, I’ll be enjoying this wild turkey pho while the nights are still cool, waiting for that first morning in the woods and dreaming of the gobblers. Best of luck this turkey season, everyone!
Ingredients:
- 1 small yellow onion, halved and peeled
- 1 small piece of ginger
- 4 cups of shredded wild turkey, about 1 pound
- 8-10 cups of turkey or chicken stock
- 2 TBSP fish sauce
- 1 TBSP brown sugar
- 4 star anise
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 5 whole cloves
- 1 TBSP cardamom
- 1 pound packaged rice vermicelli noodles
- 2 cups of mung bean sprouts
- 1 bunch of Thai basil
- 2 jalapeños, sliced thin
- 2 limes, sliced
- 1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
- 4 green onions, sliced
- 1/2 cup of fried onions
- salt, to taste
Instructions
- On an open flame, cook onions and ginger for about 5 minutes, turning them often so as not to burn. If you don’t have a gas stove top or an open flame, then broil, turning occasionally, for 15 minutes until charred on all sides.
- In a large pot, combine onions, ginger, turkey stock, fish sauce, salt to taste, star anise, cinnamon, cardamom and clove and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for an hour.
- Strain the pot, remove the onion, ginger and spices, and place back on the burner. Add turkey and heat to a simmer. Taste the soup and add more fish sauce or salt as needed.
- Cook the noodles according to the package.
- Set four large bowls aside and evenly divide rice noodles. Add cilantro, bean sprouts, jalapeños and green onion to the bowl. Ladle the broth and turkey evenly into the bowls.
- Garnish with basil, fried onions, Sriracha, hoisin and plenty of squeezes from a lime.