This is my new favorite use for the leftover turkey! A spicy peanut sauce coats the shredded turkey,which you lay on a bed of iceberg lettuce topped with fresh mint, cilantro, green onion, and cucumber. In 15 minutes you have a full meal that’s a complete change from your Thanksgiving dinner!
I watched a You-Tube of Nigella Lawson (bombshell British cooking show star) with Matt Lauer on the Today show, making this dish. He asked her how the recipe got it’s name and she said in her seductive way “I wouldn’t like to say…”
The two perhaps hard to find ingredients (although I will try harder next time as I plan to make this often with both turkey and chicken) are Chinese chili-bean sauce and Chinese black vinegar. I substituted rice vinegar and Sriracha sauce and thought it delicious.( My rice vinegar was “seasoned” so I didn’t add the Tbs. of sugar in the recipe). Nigella suggests using the leftover peanut sauce over hot grilled chicken or pork chops or to dress a cucumber salad.
2 Tbs. peanut oil
2 tsp. sesame oil
3 Tbs. smooth peanut butter
2 Tbs. Chinese chili-bean sauce
1 Tbs. superfine sugar
1 Tbs. soy sauce
1 1/2 Tbs. Chinese black vinegar
For Assembly:
6 cups finely shredded iceberg lettuce
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
3 cups cold shredded turkey
1 scallion, halved crosswise and julienned
1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded and julienned
In a small bowl, combine sauce ingredients with 2 Tbs. cold water and mix until smooth. Cover and refrigerate until needed, up to two weeks.
Spread lettuce over a large serving plate, and sprinkle evenly with cilantro and mint. Drizzle 4 to 5 tablespoons of Bang Bang sauce on the top.
In a small bowl, combine turkey with 4 tbs. Bang Bang sauce, and toss until well coated. Arrange turkey strips in a rough line down the center of the salad. Top turkey with scallions and cucumber. Drizzle with more sauce, or place sauce in a bowl to pass at the table.
Note: This picture shows half the recipe, which somehow I managed to eat all by myself during a Netflix binge. Addictive!
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Found it! Bang Bang Turkey
Looks amazing!
Love ya MOO MOO.
I made this recipe to get away from the typical Thanksgiving Turkey leftover recipes.
It was killer!
I added a little ginger dressing to the salad that didn’t get hit with peanut sauce.
Awesome! Thank you!
Agree this is the best way to repurpose that Thanksgiving turkey! I’m with you as I added ginger to the peanut dressing as well this last time. Will make with chicken as a great summer salad. Thanks Patty !