Roasting a turkey is a classic springtime tradition, but when it comes to your delightfully meaty roast, what the heck are you supposed to do with the non-turkey stuffing?
Probably, not what Jonathan Laverreck of the University of California, Davis, was thinking, but now he has an answer to the turkey quandary. A rice porridge called torilla is the dietary supplement you can eat as a substitute for turkey stuffing.
There was only one problem. Ours is a highly time-sensitive industry, and Laverreck is right — torilla had never been brought to market outside of the Philippines, where the plant is highly prized. A U.S. company called Teslyn Foods in California just got the recipe so that it could sell in the U.S. and Canada this month. Laverreck’s research took seven years, but now we can finally enjoy this much-loved native Asian food.
Today, just like everything else, to get this recipe, you need to follow the following procedures:
For the gravy. Mix the roasted turkey thighs, slivered garlic, chili flakes, coconut milk, and tumeric into a hot plate. (This process may sound similar to gravy but in many Vietnamese and Chinese places where rice pancakes are sold, they are ladled over the pan drippings left over from the roast turkey and used instead of gravy. The cumin makes the sauce richer.)
For the crunchy coating. Mix the rice (Laverreck recommends a medium wheat tortilla to soak up liquid) with lard, olive oil, garlic, and coconut milk (Laverreck recommends using an even combination of coconut milk and brown rice.) Set the tortilla to one side, and spread it out. Using a fork, blend the eggs into the already-packed mixture to form the egg white around the cornmeal core.
For the dressing. Microwave the vegetable duxelle (a rice pudding-like sweet and sour mix) for a few minutes, then add the spice blend, along with the tarragon and dill-infused coconut milk. Mix well to combine. Serve in a tarragon pineapple tart pan.
