Spice up that annual turkey soup … literally. Curry and cauliflower make this turkey soup an exotic change from the same-old.

It happens every year. By this time in the season you’re a little turkeyed out. You had the killer sandwich with the stuffing and gravy and the cranberries. Next comes that boring old soup with the rice or noodles. The soup may be tiresome, but, as always, it sure seems a waste to throw the rest away — still plenty of flavor left. You just need a change of pace.

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This. Recipe. Is. Different.

This recipe, suitable for slow cookers and crock pots, is a vast departure from the clear broth with which you’re likely familiar. And it still takes delicious advantage of the flavorful insides that your turkey first delivered about a week ago.

While you may not associate curry with a quintessentially American poultry and holiday, don’t dismiss it due to a cultural bias. You’d be missing out on a flavorful and fragrant experience, as well as a chance to introduce some potentially new and exotic flavors like cilantro, ginger, coconut, and green curry into the post-Thanksgiving culinary iterations.Turkey_Soup_0062_RT

Real flavor penetration

Curry is a strong spice and is ideally suited to the benefits of slow cooking. Low temperatures and the long simmer ensure that all of the spicy flavorings really penetrate and infuse the hefty dose of vegetables and remaining meat.

Wait, did you put cauliflower in my soup?

In another departure from traditional recipes, this soup calls for cauliflower — an infrequent player in the soup arena — whose spicy crunch and substantial bite add a blast of vitamins C & K. Plus, cauliflower is extremely good at soaking up the multitude of flavors in the broth. That can make up a bit for a heavily-stripped turkey carcass.

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Turkey Curry Soup

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons canola oil
  • ½ cup onion, chopped
  • ½ cup carrots, chopped
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2-inch piece fresh ginger, minced
  • ⅓ cup prepared South Asian green or yellow curry paste
  • 3 cups chicken stock
  • 1 can whole coconut milk
  • 1 whole turkey carcass, with some meat left on
  • 1½ tablespoons kosher salt
  • black pepper, freshly ground
  • 1 head cauliflower, broken into large florets
  • 2 (16-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 bunch fresh mint leaves, chopped
  • 1 bunch cilantro leaves, chopped
  • 1 lime, cut in wedges

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Instructions

  1. Heat the slow cooker pot over medium-high heat. If your crockpot or slow cooker won’t braise on a stove top, just do this step in a large frying pan instead.
  2. Heat the oil; add the onions, carrots, garlic, and ginger; cook, stirring frequently until fragrant.
  3. Add the curry paste and continue to cook, about 2 minutes more.
  4. Whisk the broth and coconut milk with all the aromatics in the pan. Then carefully place the pan into slow cooker heating element (or transfer from the frying pan to the slow cooker).
  5. Place the turkey carcass into the pan.
  6. Cover and cook on HIGH for 6 hours, adding cauliflower and chickpeas about halfway through cooking.
  7. Divide curry evenly into bowls and scatter freshly torn mint or cilantro on top. Serve with a wedge of lime.