Go Back
butter turkey curry
Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Butter Turkey Curry

A rich & creamy butter turkey curry made with leftover roast turkey instead of classic chicken. This is designed to use up Christmas leftovers & is perfect for Boxing Day!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Course: Leftovers, Main Course
Cuisine: British, Indian
Servings: 6 People
Author: Ben Racey

Equipment

  • Large Saucepan
  • Microplane/Grater
  • Juicer
  • Jug Blender

Ingredients

  • 500 g Leftover Roast Turkey (Shredded)

Curry Sauce

  • 1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
  • 50 g Unsalted Butter
  • 2 White Onions (Thinly Sliced)
  • 4 Garlic Cloves (Thinly Sliced)
  • A 2" Piece Of Fresh Ginger (Grated)
  • 75 g Cashews
  • 2 tsp Garam Masala
  • 2 tsp Smoked Paprika
  • 1 tsp Ground Cumin
  • 1 tsp Turmeric
  • ½ tsp Ground Fenugreek
  • ¼ tsp Ground Cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp Chilli Powder
  • 2 tbsp Tomato Paste
  • 400 g Tin Of Chopped Tomatoes
  • 300 ml Water (Use To Rinse Out Tomato Tin!)
  • 150 g Double Cream (Plus Extra To Serve)
  • 1 tbsp Lemon Juice

To Finish

  • 100 g Unsalted Butter (Cut Into Small Pieces)
  • Finely Chopped Coriander

Instructions

Curry Sauce

  • Set a large saucepan over a medium heat then add in the veg oil & butter. Once the butter has melted, add in the sliced onions & a good pinch of salt then cook, stirring frequently until soft & lightly browned. This will take around 15 minutes.
  • Stir in the garlic, ginger, cashews, garam masala, paprika, cumin, turmeric, fenugreek, cinnamon & chilli powder. Cook this out for a minute, stirring frequently.
  • Next, stir in the tomato paste, cook out for another minute then add in the chopped tomatoes & the water (use this to rinse out the empty tomato tin).
  • Reduce the heat to low & cook the curry sauce for 20-30 minutes, stirring regularly until it has thickened & the spices have cooked out.
    You'll know when the spices have cooked out when the sauce doesn't taste gritty. If your sauce gets too thick, thin it out with a splash of water. The tomatoes should have reduced by roughly half.
  • Next, transfer the sauce into a jug blender then blend briefly to break up the onions & cashews. Add in the double cream & lemon juice then continue blending until the sauce is smooth. Season to taste with salt then pour the sauce back into the pan.
    A stick blender will also work!
  • Set the pan of sauce back over a low heat then once hot, stir in the butter a small piece at a time. Make sure to let each piece of butter melt completely before adding more.
  • Add the shredded turkey into the sauce then cover the pan with a lid & cook for another 5-10 minutes, until the meat is piping hot. Make sure to stir the curry regularly.
  • To serve, top the curry with a drizzle of double cream & a sprinkle of chopped coriander.

Notes

1. To Cook On An Aga - Cook the onions for the sauce on the boiling plate then move over to the simmering plate when you add in the tomatoes. Use the simmering plate when finishing the sauce as well.
2. Leftover Turkey - You'll need 500 grams of leftover roast turkey to make 6 generous portions but if you've got less/more than this you can scale the recipe as needed. I used leftovers from my spatchcock turkey recipe. You can use white or dark meat, or a mix of both.
3. Garam Masala - This is an Indian spice blend & is available to buy in most supermarkets.
4. Storage - Any curry that's not served straight away, needs to be stored in the fridge & is best eaten within a day or two, depending on when your turkey was roasted. Make sure to reheat the curry so that it's piping hot before serving.