Sweet and Sour Leftover Turkey Recipe

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A piece of sweet and sour turkey held by chopsticks, over a bowl of a helping of the dish.

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Fresh, lively and piquant, this leftover sweet and sour turkey recipe is great for using up extra meat after a big festive roast, and makes a fantastic change from curry!

Servings: people

Author: Helen Best-Shaw

Prep Time10

Cook Time15

Ingredients

250 g roast turkey
2 tbsp cornflour - cornstarch
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
2 bell peppers
435 g fresh pineapple, slices or chunks - 1 can, including the juice
1 tbsp vegetable oil - neutral flavour
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
3 tbsp soft dark brown sugar - or muscavado
2 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp chilli sauce
½ tsp fresh ginger root - grated
black pepper and salt - to season
sesame seeds - optional garnish
sliced spring onions/scallions - optional garnish

Metric - USA Cups

Instructions

Cut the roasted turkey into bite sized chunks. Put it in a bowl with a tablespoon of the cornflour and season well with pepper and salt. Then set to one side.
250 g roast turkey, 2 tbsp cornflour, black pepper and salt
Prepare the vegetables. Peel and chop the onion and garlic. Remove the stalk, membrane and seeds from the peppers and chop. If using pineapple rings, cut these into 8 chunks and reserve the juice.
2 cloves garlic, 1 onion, 2 bell peppers, 435 g fresh pineapple, slices or chunks
In a non-stick pan, fry the turkey in a tablespoonful of vegetable oil over a medium high heat until crispy. Stir from time to time to avoid burning but try not to knock the crispy coating off. This should take about five minutes.
1 tbsp vegetable oil
Set a few sheets of kitchen paper on a plate. Put the turkey pieces on the paper to drain off the oil.
Now put the onions and peppers in the pan over a medium high heat, stirring all the time until the onions are fragrant and the peppers softened. Add the garlic and fry for another minute.
Turn the heat down and add the pineapple juice, vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, ketchup and chilli sauce (if using). Grate in some fresh ginger and stir well.
2 tbsp white wine vinegar, 1 tbsp dark soy sauce, 3 tbsp soft dark brown sugar, 1 tbsp chilli sauce, ½ tsp fresh ginger root, 2 tbsp ketchup
Put the remainder of the cornflour into a small bowl. Add some cold water and stir until well combined, to make a smooth liquid.
Add the cornflour mix to the pan. Bring the mixture up to a gentle simmer, stirring all the time. Take care to scrape the sides and bottom of the pan, as the sauce will thicken there first.
If you are making this dish in advance make to this point, cover, allow to cool, and reheat before adding the turkey and pineapple chunks.
Finally, add the crispy turkey pieces and the pineapple. Stir through to heat and serve immediately, while the turkey is still crispy. Garnish with sesame seeds and spring onions.
sesame seeds, sliced spring onions/scallions

Notes

Storage

This sweet and sour turkey is best eaten immediately, as the turkey coating will lose its texture if left.
If you have leftovers that you want to keep, however, simply cool and pack them into storage boxes in the usual way.

Fridge – Keep in the fridge for three days and reheat to piping hot.

Freezer – You can freeze and reheat, but I don't really recommend it. It is safe, but disappointing. If your leftover cooked turkey has been frozen before, do not freeze and reheat it again.

Hints and tips

Use a non-stick pan.
Don't stir the turkey too enthusiastically in the pan, as it may fail to crisp up. Turn it gently from time to time.
Don't be tempted to mix the garlic with the onion and put them in the pan together. Garlic burns easily and turns horribly bitter.
Always mix the cornflour thoroughly with water before adding to your pan. If you don't, you will end up with gelatinous lumps.

• Please note that the nutrition information provided below is approximate and meant as a guideline only.

• Unless stated otherwise cup conversions have been made with an online tool. For accuracy please check with your favoured conversion tool. We recommend buying inexpensive digital kitchen scales.