Monday, December 12, 2011

Turkey leftovers: make turkey meat floss (Rou song (肉鬆))

I'm not a fan of the typical options for turkey leftovers:  turkey sandwiches, turkey salad, turkey wraps, turkey burritos, turkey pasta... I can go on all day.  These all seem so monotonous and not any different than just eating the plain ol turkey.  (And if that's the case, then why not just eat the plain ol turkey on its own? It will help get rid of the turkey faster than "hiding" it in a sandwich or burrito.)

One thing I *am* a fan of, is Rou song (肉鬆), or as some other people call it "meat floss".  This is most commonly made using pork (second most common is fish).  However, why not use turkey?
One of the toughest part of making rou song is getting the meat dried.  And hey... turkey is already a dry meat to begin with!  You're already halfway there!

I made Rou Song out of fish a few times as a kid, and I still remember it like it was yesterday.  The process is very similar with turkey, except that turkey is much easier since fish is so wet!

Here are the simple, but very time consuming, steps to make turkey Rou Song:

1. Cook The Turkey.
The easiest way to do this is to follow my World's Simplest Roasted Turkey recipe!



2.  De-bone the Turkey
When turkey is cooked and has rested for at least 10 minutes, carve the turkey and save the bones for later (you can make soup with the bones).

3. Feed Hungry Husband



4. Shred The Leftover Turkey
When said husband is no longer hungry, take the leftover turkey meat and shred it into tiny pieces.  Use both hands for this job!
This took me about 3 hours.
My pregnant self cannot sit in one place for 3 hours so said husband came and lent a helping hand (well, 2 hands if you want to be exact).
 

5. OPTIONAL: Fuzzy up the meat the meat
Get a ceramic bowl and press it against the meat in a "twisting" motion to make the meat appear more fuzzy and fluffy.
This was very time consuming, and I would totally omit this next time.
I don't need to spend an hour twisting my meat to make it look fuzzy.  As long as it tastes good, that's all I care about.

6. Dry The Meat on the Stove Top
Using the largest wok or pan that you have, cook the turkey on medium-low heat, stirring every 3 minutes to ensure that the meat on the bottom does not burn. 













 7. Keep Stirring
Stir for about 1 hour 45 mins, or until the meat looks dried.  It will take on a golden-brownish color.

8.  Season Up the Dried Turkey
All you need is white sugar and soy sauce.
I like mine extra sweet, so I probably used about 1 cup of white sugar and maybe about 1/2 cup of soy sauce.
Just add them in slowly and keep tasting until you like it.  =)

9. Stir Until Blended.
Keep stirring the turkey until everything is equally seasoned. Do this for maybe another 15 minutes, to let the soy sauce soak up into the meat, making the total cook time 2 hours!





The Finished Product!


 It looks a lot like the pork Rou Song sold at the Asian super markets.

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