So you’ve successfully cleaned, brined, trussed, stuffed, and oven-roasted your turkey – well done! (Missed those steps? Check them out here and here!) It’s finally time for the ultimate aim of all this hard work: eating!

But before this, you’ll need to carve the turkey. Presentation is particularly important at Christmastime, and the following method will demonstrate how to slice up your bird in a way that preserves its aesthetics.

Step 8: Carving

Carving breaks the turkey down into smaller, servable portions. This is especially useful if you’re having a large sit-down dinner, so your guests won’t have to wait long to start eating.

If you’re making turkey to keep for yourself, you should still carve it so it takes up significantly less space in your freezer.

This method is for carving turkey away from the dining table, so that it’s ready to be brought out from the kitchen and served to your guests.

• Using a sharp carving knife, slice both wings off at the joints, completely removing the wing and drummet from the main body. Separate the drummets from the wings at the joints.
• Remove both thighs completely and separate the drumsticks from the thighs.
• Make a deep cut across the body from the cavity, starting from the backbone, under the breast, and all the way to the neck. You don’t have to sever it completely.
• Push both sides open to separate – almost like a coconut!
• Scoop out the stuffing and arrange on a serving plate or in a bowl.
• Cut the ribs away from the breast.
• Lay the breast on its flat side and find the middle bone. Slice and cut right next to it and cut the breast meat off completely.
• Cut and remove the other breast.
  Cut breast meat into slices 1.5-2cm wide. Arrange on your serving platter.
• You can arrange the meat any way you like, but it is recommended you “rebuild” it. Lay the thigh meat next to the breast, and drumsticks next to the thighs. Then lay the drummets on the opposite side and wings next to them.
• Serve your turkey whole on the dining table so guests can see how beautiful it is!
  If you’re carving your turkey several hours before serving, remove the stuffing and transfer it to a separate bowl to avoid spoilage.

Here’s a pictorial guide:

Step 9: Making the gravy

Much like chicken, turkey meat can be quite dry. Gravy adds moisture and brings extra flavour to the meat. Here’s a recipe that makes use of the turkey innards and bits you reserved earlier.

Ingredients

• turkey bits from earlier
• turkey drippings, from the roasting pan (separate the oil and brown drippings)
• 330ml chicken stock
• 1 large onion (about 150g), sliced thinly
• 17g garlic (about 4 cloves), sliced thinly
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp fish sauce

Method

• Cut the turkey neck into smaller segments, and mince the liver and other bits.
• Place a small pot on high heat and pour in the oil from turkey drippings.
• Add the chopped neck and stir so it doesn’t stick to the pot.
• Once the neck is very brown, about 7 minutes, add the sliced onions and garlic, plus optional herbs of your choice. Continue stirring.

• When the onion has softened, about 4 minutes, add the brown turkey drippings. Your gravy will really start to brown after this.
• After 4-5 minutes, add the chicken stock and continuously stir, scraping the bottom and sides of the pot for a minute.
• Add the minced bits and let it cook for 4-5 minutes.

• Add the soy sauce and fish sauce. Stir and let boil until it reduces, about 10 minutes. If you would like a slightly thicker sauce, add some butter.
• Strain the gravy to remove chunks.
• Finally, serve warm in a bowl or gravy boat.

Final tips

• This three-part guide is for preparing a whole turkey. If you find frozen or fresh turkey meat in parts, similar rules apply, but the timing must be adjusted accordingly. Remember, temperature is key!
• Roast turkey does not need to be served hot, although it does taste better that way. Cold turkey slices can also be used to make sandwiches.
• Serve with cranberry sauce as they go perfect together. You don’t have to make this from scratch as fresh or frozen cranberries are not always available in local supermarkets. Canned or bottled cranberry sauce is more readily available.
• Stuffing is completely optional. Some prefer to serve their stuffing on the side, while some prefer none at all. It’s up to you!

Happy eating, and Merry Christmas!

This article first appeared in butterkicap.com, a food and culture platform and community that enables anyone to experience Malaysia through stories of its people, food and places.