Big Red Tandoori Turkey

Use the turkey cooking instructions that this recipe provides to learn how to bake a turkey Indian style. Spicy flavorful turkey recipes are the best way to cook a turkey. Know how to cook a turkey more flavorful than the average Thanksgiving turkey.

Ingredients

1 onion, chopped
8 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon tumeric
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup lentils
1 cup basmati rice
3 cups water
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup pistachio nuts, chopped
12 pounds turkey
Pepper
3/4 cup bottled tandoori paste
3/4 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon chile powder

Instructions

In a skillet, cook onion and 4 cloves of garlic in butter until soft. Add cumin, tumeric, coriander and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook another 5 minutes and set aside.
Cook lentils and rice in water for 15 minutes. Add onion/garlic mixture to rice and lentils and cook 10 more minutes. Stir in raisins and pistachios. Set aside to cool.
Use mixture to stuff body and neck cavities of bird. Remove neck and giblets from turkey. Wash turkey well, then pat dry and season inside and out with remaining salt and pepper. Spoon stuffing into turkey neck and body cavities.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the tandoori paste, yogurt, cumin, chili powder and remaining garlic until smooth. Spread 1/4 of mixture under turkey skin, then spread remainder over turkey, saving little to baste turkey with.
Place on roasting rack in pan and roast at 325 degrees F, basting often, until nicely browned and thermometer inserted into the deepest part of thigh reads 180 degrees F, about 15 minutes per pound.