NEBRASKAland Magazine is dedicated to outstanding photography and informative writing with an engaging mix of articles and photos highlighting Nebraska’s outdoor activities, parklands, wildlife, history and people.
Issue link: http://mag.outdoornebraska.gov/i/695082
JULY 2016 • NEBRASKAland 77 sweet and sour turtle … This curry recipe is mostly for kicks and giggles. Most of you reading will probably never get the chance to eat turtle in your lives, and those who do probably won't change your tried and true ways. Curry? What? Go home, weird Asian girl. But bear with me. If anything, you can try this recipe with chicken or pork. It'll taste just as good, sans weird pile of reptile bones in your trash. If you're interested in learning how to catch and clean turtle, check out our book Hunting for Food or come to the Missouri River at Ponca State Park on Sept. 17-18. Ben will discuss how he catches snapping turtles and also demonstrate cleaning. He usually brings samples. Servings: 4-6 Prep Time: 20 minutes Cooking Time: 2 1/2 hours Ingredients: • 1 tablespoon of oil • 15 Baby Dutch Yellow potatoes, halved (or 2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and diced) • Half an onion, chopped • 1 (14 ounce) can of unsweetened coconut milk • 2 tablespoons of yellow Thai curry • 2 bay leaves • Fish sauce, to taste • 1 pinch of sugar • Zest of one lime or lemon • Chopped cilantro for garnish • Cooked jasmine rice or bread for serving Turtle Stock • 1 1 ⁄2 pounds of turtle meat (on the bone) • 4 ribs of celery, chopped • 1 carrot, chopped • 1 yellow or white onion, quartered • 6 cups of water • 1 whole stalk of lemongrass 1. Bruise the lemongrass stalk by gently pounding it with a mallet or rolling pin to allow it to release its flavors better. If necessary, cut the stalk into smaller sections or bend to fit inside the pot. Combine turtle, celery, carrot, quartered onion, water and lemongrass in a stock pot. Bring to a simmer (but never let it boil), cover and cook for 1.5 hours, or until turtle meat is tender and can be pulled away from the bone. Best to check after 1 hour – you don't want your meat to overcook and get mushy. 2. Once tender, remove turtle pieces from the pot, and then remove the meat from the bones. Set meat aside and discard bones. Pour stock through a fine strainer lined with cheesecloth. Discard spent vegetables. Set strained stock aside. 3. Next, add potatoes into a pot and cover with water. Add a pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Parboil potatoes until just tender, but not cooked all the way. Drain and set aside. 4. In a wok, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Lower the heat to medium, then scoop out the top thicker and creamy layer of coconut milk from the can and add it to the wok; in the can, the coconut milk will look solid white, almost like lard, while the bottom layer is a more coconut juice-like liquid. Allow the coconut to liquefy and bubble for a couple minutes, and then add the yellow curry. Stir well to combine. 5. Next, add the rest of the coconut milk (the translucent part), turtle meat, potatoes, bay leaves and enough turtle stock to cover all the ingredients. Stir well and bring to a boil. Then simmer for 30 minutes until desired consistency is reached – add more stock if needed. Keep the extra stock on hand in case if you need to loosen up the curry again when reheating leftovers. 6. Add zest, fish sauce and sugar to taste. Remove bay leaves before serving. Ladle soup into individual bowls, sprinkle cilantro on top and serve with jasmine rice or crusty bread. ■ This recipe and photograph originally appeared on Jenny's Food for Hunters blog at Foodforhunters.com. A hunter pulls a snapping turtle out of the water by the tail. Next, it is promptly placed in a burlap sack for safe transport. PHOTO BY JENNY NGUYEN