IT’S a culinary tour-de-force. The turkey that is. Somehow, Christmas is just NOT the same without the presence of this jaunty bird on the festive table. In fact, a poll carried out in the UK revealed that 87 per cent of Brits opined that Christmas isn’t Christmas without their traditional roast turkey.
The bird, which originated in North America, has been gracing Christmas tables in England as early as the 16th century, with King Henry VIII being credited as being the first English monarch to have feasted on turkey for Christmas.
“Definitely turkey is a tradition here in this restaurant for Christmas too. We’ve been serving our customers roast turkey during the festive season, for the last 15 years,” exclaims award-winning chef, Yenni Law, her tone laced with undisguised pride.
Adding, the affable owner of Meatology Restaurant and Bar in leafy Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur says: “We’ve been offering roast turkey for so long that our challenge to ourselves every year is how to improve on the offering, for example, to get it juicier and plumper.”
Unlike chicken, getting the turkey roasted just right can be a challenge. If you cook a turkey for too long, the meat’s natural juices will burn away and you end up with something very dry. And certainly, dry turkey is difficult to chew and swallow, and furthermore, has a dull flavour.
“It’s a tough bird,” agrees Law, when I point this out. “If you don’t know how to roast the turkey and take it out on time, then you’re in trouble.” Adding, the youthful-looking 40-something restaurateur shares: “Whenever I order my turkey from the suppliers, I already know what size it needs to be. Nothing more than 5kg. In fact, the maximum is 5.5kg. Any larger or heavier, then I need a longer time to prepare. We don’t have a huge oven like what you get in hotels; it’s a one-bird oven.”
That being so makes it a laborious undertaking. Law recalls roasting 15 birds in one day for a special Christmas Eve collection not too long ago. Chuckling, she shares: “I started roasting from 6.30am that day! Unlike other places, I wouldn’t do the roasting the night before because definitely it would affect the taste. When you have to reheat, the meat becomes even drier.”
A lot of people think that it’s easy to roast turkey, adds Law, not realising all the hard work that goes into it. “I roast my turkey for two hours or slightly under, depending on how big the bird is. Recently I did a 5.6kg bird and that took me 1 hour 45 minutes.”
Why doesn’t she just use those pop-up turkey timers then, I couldn’t help blurting out. This timer, which resembles a thermometer, is inserted into the innermost part of the bird’s thigh and wing, and the thickest part of the breast.
“Oh no,” retorts the Taiping-born chef. “If you rely on that timer 100 per cent, you’ll end up with an over roasted bird — hard and dry. It’s not very accurate and if it ever pops up at all, it could actually be too late.”
TURKEY TRICKS
The award-winning cookbook author prefers to do it the old fashioned way — with a good ol’ paring knife. “I stick the knife in for at least five to six seconds before taking it out. Then, I’ll put the blunt part of the blade between my lip and chin. If it feels very hot, that means the inside of the bird is cooked. It’ll be just nice — perfect medium. When you finally take the whole thing out, the turkey will continue cooking on its own. The juices will also go back in; it won’t leach. The result is a plump turkey.”
The best way to guard against the turkey’s proverbial dryness is to brine it, advises Law, who has been refining her turkey-roasting “prowess” for the last 20 years. It’s actually the secret to a juicy, flavourful turkey. Before the roasting process, there would be three days of preparations involved.
Shares Law: “To brine the turkey, we need to have the correct amount of water and salt. We’d also add our herbs, spices and seasoning in. The bird is soaked and covered in brine for three days and in the meantime, we’d prepare the giblet gravy.”
This flavourful gravy is essentially concocted using the choicest pieces of the bird — the liver, neck and gizzard. “Sometimes we roast the neck to get more flavour and make the stock from it,” shares Law, adding: “After that, we saute with aromatic vegetables — onions, celeries, carrots, and bay leaves, together with the giblet. That’s the base. Then we wait for the turkey dripping (the fats and juices) on that day and later incorporate it to give it that nice turkey aroma.”
Law confides that in her drive to produce the perfect turkey, she’s spent much time talking to people, to her suppliers and researching online on how to produce better brine and how to best roast the bird. “The last three years I’ve been applying a new technique. I base the turkey with oil first before roasting it. Doing this helps to seal in the juices.”
Temperature control, she adds, is very important. “Normal roasting is around 180 to 200 degrees. But it takes a longer time. What I’m trying to achieve is reduce the turkey roasting time. So I experiment with a higher temperature. But I need to take care. I have to stand there, wait and watch, keeping a close eye on the timing. The bigger the bird, the longer it stays in.”
Every year, Law and her talented team at Meatology dedicate the month of December to perfecting their “turkey art”. The guests know that what they’re eating — or picking up — are roasted on the same day. Anyone wanting to savour the chef’s handiwork — bird complete with stuffing (chestnut, grapes, bacon) and all the trimmings AND an additional box of stuffing — will need to book three days in advance.
OTHER FESTIVE FARE
Although the turkey is the piece-de-resistance here at Meatology this Christmas, there are also other delightful items on the festive menu. For starters, diners can choose from two options: Meat Cakes (similar to fish cakes but made with beef patties), made of beef tenderloin and pan grilled and served with salad; or a lavish Lobster Bisque soup, a smooth, creamy and highly seasoned concoction.
For the main course, there’s of course, the turkey portion, or alternatively, diners can opt for the rump steak. Explains Law: “This is milk fed beef from Victoria Valley in Australia. I decided to go with rump because it’s a very neglected cut. People don’t usually know how to use a rump steak, believing that it’s tough and dry. But we want to serve it.”
Elaborating, Law says: “The calves have been milk fed so the meat is actually very creamy in taste. It’s also an affordable cut — not like Wagyu. We apply our signature flambe (covered with spirits and set alight briefly) treatment for the rump and serve it with garlic and pepper pebbles.”
Pebbles? Noting my confused expression, Law chuckles before explaining: “The “pebbles” are made of garlic and pepper. And you sprinkle this on the steak. I’m trying to educate people that you don’t need to drown your steak with gravy. When you have a good piece of steak, you need to savour the flavour. Drowning it in black pepper or mushroom sauce will just spoil it. Anyway, there’s a lot of oil in gravy, which means that there’s lots of calories!”
Also on the menu is pan seared pork jowl (from the Iberico pig) served with a special sauce. “It’s a blend of capsicum, fresh tomatoes, and some spices. This is served on the side together with garlic flakes.”
And for dessert? “It’s locally-inspired!” exclaims Law, excitedly. “I’m not a big dessert or cake person but for this year, we’re offering a steamed baked pandan cake served with ice-cream. I personally love to work with coconut and pandan, and with this one, we have a marriage of east and west. The latter is in the form of the traditional egg nog.”
CHRISTMAS TRADITION
While most people would be looking forward to the festive merriment in the company of their loved ones, Law confides that once again, her Christmas would be spent toiling away at her restaurant. Voice low, she shares: “Ever since I got into this industry, I haven’t had the chance to be with my family in Taiping for the festive season. And that’s more than 20 years now. ”
A faraway look in her eyes, Law recalls that the one thing she’d always looked forward to whenever Christmas came-a-calling was her mother’s pork meat cakes. “It’s similar to my beef cakes. In fact, my beef cakes are inspired by mum’s recipe. It’s very special. I remember her slaving away in the kitchen when we were kids, preparing the festive spread. There’d also be all the western staples like mushy peas (from the can) and gravy etc.”
These days, Christmas for this passionate chef means turkey-roasting and making her customers happy. “I get to provide the platform where people can come together, laugh and enjoy good food,” she muses. Of the Christmas tradition that she cherishes most, it’s the giving part. And doing what she does is her way of giving.
Smiling serenely, Law, who recently started a second outlet (pork-free) in a boutique hotel called Mov Hotel in Changkat Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur, continues: “I feel if you cultivate this giving habit, the universe will eventually be aligned with you. In the end, it’ll give you what you want without you even having to ask for it.”
A thoughtful pause ensues as we both contemplate the statement. Turning away from the chef, I find myself transfixed by the merry dance of the lights on the Christmas tree by the restaurant’s entrance. Outside, a sense of serenity pervades as darkness descends.
Any Christmas wish? I ask, turning to Law again. She doesn’t pause to think. Her eyes shining, Law concludes: “My big wish is to grow my business with a team of really strong and driven people — a team of Spartans! I want for us to be able to serve as many people as we can; to be the platform for them to celebrate — family, friendships — over good food!”
Meatology by Chey Yenni Law
16, Lorong Rahim Kajai 14, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, KL
Reservations: meatologykl.com