Vietnamese Turkey Five Ways

Lemongrass Scallion Oil Recipe
makes about 1 cup oil


  • 2 tablespoons neutral oil
  • 1 stalk lemongrass, white parts only, cut into 1 inch pieces and bruised
  • 2 bunches scallions, thinly sliced
  • 1 inch piece of ginger, finely diced
  • 1 large shallot, minced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
  • 1-2 teaspoons fish sauce
  • 1 teaspoon sugar

Heat up the oil in a pot with high sides over medium heat. Add the lemongrass and let infuse. When the lemongrass is golden and the oil is fragrant, carefully strain out the lemongrass and discard.

Turn the heat up to high. When shimmery and hot, add the scallions, ginger, shallots, and garlic. Be careful, the mixture will bubble. Stir and remove the pot from the heat. Add the toasted sesame oil, fish sauce, and sugar. Taste and adjust.

Note: To bruise the lemongrass, hit lightly with a rolling pin until fragrant. 

Ginger Fish Sauce Vinaigrette
makes about 2 cups fish sauce


  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 1 red bird’s eye chili
  • 5 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 inch piece of ginger, as finely minced as possible
  • juice of 1/2 lime (or to taste)
  • 1 3/4 cups of water
  • 1/4 cup fish sauce

Crush the garlic, chili and sugar together in a mortar and pestle. Transfer to a bowl or large liquid measuring cup, add the ginger and dissolve the sugar, garlic and chili mixture with the water. Add the lime juice then fish sauce.

Vietnamese Turkey Salad Recipe
serves 4-6


  • 2 cups cooked shredded turkey, cold
  • 1/2 head of a small cabbage, shredded
  • 1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup Thai basil, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup mint leaves
  • 1/2 cup shiso leaves, roughly chopped
  • 3/4-1 cup prepared gingery fish sauce vinaigrette
  • juice of 1 lime

Mix the fish sauce and lime juice together and toss all the ingredients. Taste and season with more fish sauce if needed. Enjoy cold!

Crispy Turkey Skin Skewer Recipe
makes as many as needed


  • turkey skin from thighs or breasts
  • salt and freshly ground pepper

Cut the turkey skin into small pieces. Bring a small pot of water to a boil and lightly blanch the skins. Remove from the water and let cool.

Thread the turkey skins onto skewers. Season generously with salt and pepper. Grill, over medium heat, until golden and crispy. Enjoy hot.

Vietnamese Turkey Spring Roll Recipe
makes about 20 spring rolls


  • 1/2 pound of ground turkey
  • 1/4 cup dried wood ear mushrooms, soaked in hot water and finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup shredded carrots
  • 1/2 cup shredded taro root
  • 1/4 small onion, finely diced
  • 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 shallot, minced
  • 1/2 tablespoon sugar
  • 1/2 tablespoon fish sauce
  • 1 teaspoons black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 package spring roll wrappers (I like TJY Spring Roll Pastry)

In a large bowl, mix together all of the ingredients, minus the spring roll wrappers.

Take a wrapper and place it in front of you like a diamond. Make sure the other wrappers are covered with a damp paper towel so they don’t dry out. Spread out 1 tablespoon of filling not quite in the middle of the wrapper. Fold the corner closest to you up and towards the corner farthest away from you. Pinch to make sure the wrapper is tight around the filling. Fold in the two sides to where it meets the filling. Try to keep the sides straight. Pinch and roll tightly. Lightly dampened the last corner with a bit of egg before rolling up all the way.

Roll all your rolls before you start frying. Line a baking sheet, or plate with parchment or wax paper to place your spring rolls on. Make sure you have a damp paper towel to cover your completed spring rolls and the spring roll wrappers. If you don’t cover them with a damp paper towel, the skin will dry out. If you want to stack your spring rolls, be sure to have a piece of paper in between the layers as well.

Fill a deep sided pot (I like to deep fry in a dutch oven) with several inches of oil (enough for the spring rolls to float). Heat the oil over medium to medium-high heat until it reaches 350°F. Gently add your spring rolls, being careful not to overcrowd. It’s best to deep-fry in batches. The rolls should bubble immediately when they hit the hot oil. If they don’t, your oil isn’t hot enough. Fry until the skins turn golden brown and crisp, about 6-8 minutes. Remove the rolls and drain on paper towels. These rolls stay hot for quite some time so be careful when you bite into one!

Lemongrass Turkey Meatball Skewer Recipe
makes 9-10 meatball skewers


  • 1/2 pound ground turkey
  • 1/4 cup panko
  • 1 tablespoons finely minced lemongrass
  • 1 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • 1/4 onion, finely diced
  • 1/4 tablespoon fish sauce
  • 1/2 tablespoon sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Gently mix together all of the ingredients. Take about 2 tablespoons and shape onto a skewer. Repeat until all of the meat has been shaped.

Heat up a grill pan, over medium heat. Grill the skewers, flipping as needed until slightly charred and cooked through, about 10-15 minutes. Enjoy warm.

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