Japanese Style Turkey Simmered with Carrots and Turnips

I was lurking over at the Japanese Food Report website,  http://www.japanesefoodreport.com,  and saw a good looking recipe called Chicken Simmered with Carrots and Daikon.   Daikon is a “mild, white radish, shaped like a carrot” and used in Asian cuisine.

The market is open today (Saturday) but the Vietnamese lady’s stall is only open on Monday and Friday, so I knew that I wouldn’t be able to get daikon.   I decided to substitute the daikon with a winter season variety of turnip.

Before I left for the market, I took some chicken thighs out of the freezer, put them on a plate and sat them on the heater to thaw.   This is a great method because it reduces the thawing time in a West African room temperature kind of way.   I imagine that this is not a recommended thawing method but it is a fair imitation of the thawing I’ve been doing for the past 3 decades or so.    Still alive.  Barely.

The poultry stall was doing big business today.   As I passed, I noticed what was called turkey fillet.  A skinless, boneless chunk of turkey meat.   Why not?  Chicken thighs back in the freezer.

Turkey meat, if bought in the supermarket, is fairly inexpensive.  If bought in the market, hi ho!

The recipe doesn’t call for onions, but I rebelled.  I’ve got to get an otoshibuta (look here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otoshi_buta).   Someone buy one for me and mail it, please!   In the meantime, I made one.  Go here:  http://justonecookbook.com/blog/how-to/how-to-make-otoshi-buta/

Japanese Style Turkey Simmered with Carrots and Turnips

1 1/2 lbs of boneless turkey, cut into bite sized pieces

4 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks

4 turnips, peeled and cut into chunks

1 onion, cut into eighths

2 tbsp sake

4 tbsp tamari soy sauce

3 tbsp sugar

Hard boiled eggs (optional)

Put carrots, turnips and onion into a large pot with water, just to cover.   Bring to a boil, cover with an otoshibuta, then simmer for 15 minutes.   Add the chicken and sake.   When the water returns to a boil, add the soy sauce and sugar, cover with the otoshibuta and simmer for another 15 minutes.   Taste, adjust sugar and soy sauce, then cook for another 5-10 minutes.   Serve with 1/2 of a hardboiled egg and sprinkle with Nori-Tama furikake, if desired.

Wine suggestion:  Bourgogne Aligote