Turkey Jook

I hope you save that turkey carcass from Thanksgiving dinner, because you can use it to make turkey jook (“rice congee”, porridge… ahhh, just call it “jook“). And because I’m making it, you know the recipe has to be easy!

Turkey Jook

turkey jook

Originally posted 1 Dec 2008
Updated 25 Nov 2010

The Thanksgiving feast is done. Much of the remaining turkey meat has been cut off the carcass and saved for making sandwiches later. Now you’ve got a bare carcass sitting on your counter. You’re not going to throw that away are you?

Oh, heck no!

One of the best ways to deal with the turkey carcass is to make a big pot of turkey jook the next day. Making turkey jook takes relatively little work, especially compared to the culinary acrobatics that normally take place in the kitchen on Thanksgiving. Here’s what you do:

Put the turkey carcass in a big stock pot along with the thigh bones and wings, cover with water and simmer for 3 hours or more. You should get a rich, brown stock.

Turkey Stock

turkey stock for jook

Ladle out half of the stock (about 7-8 cups) into another pot. Remove the carcass bones and let them cool. Chill the remaining stock and reserve it for something else (turkey tortilla soup might be good).

Optional: add to the stock pot a cup of dried scallops that have been reconstituted in warm water.

Adding Dried Scallops to Turkey Stock

adding scallops to turkey stock for jook

Add a half cup of uncooked Japanese short grain rice, rinsed. We recommend short grain rice as opposed to jasmine, because the starchiness of the short grain will help thicken the jook. Let the rice simmer in the stock for 2 hours.

Meanwhile, peel the meat off the cooled turkey bones. Add half the meat to the jook and reserve the other half for (you guessed it) something else. (If you have any more leftover turkey meat, you might want to chop that up and use that too. But I’m lazy 😉 )

Peeled Turkey Meat

shredded turkey for jook

Adjust the seasonings with soy sauce to taste. Ladle the jook into bowls, then garnish with chopped green onion or cilantro, and a couple dashes of white pepper. Drizzle a little sesame seed oil on if you like.

There you have it. A nice, warm bowl of turkey jook to feed your soul.

Turkey Jook

turkey jook closeup

Aloha, Nate

38 thoughts on “Turkey Jook”

  1. Do you say congee/ porridge, “jook” in Hawaii? When I was a kid we used to say “chook”. I guess it’s chinese origin.

    What a great way to use up ALL the turkey left-overs. The turkey chook / jook looks delish, esp good during this cold winter period.

    BTW, Happy Thanksgiving to you, Annie and the kids..

  2. Hi Annie & Nate,

    Hope u guys are doing fine. Wow…your bowl of turkey jook make me salivate so much. I haven´t had that for years. But first I have to tackle roasting the turkey before I can dream of my turkey jook.

    love,
    eliz

  3. Yep, jook is the best way to get rid of poultry carcass. I even made a video this year on my site! Neat to see the different techniques. your jook has more stock to rice while mine looks like it might be more gruel like than yours. I’m thinking I should water mine down more to get it to look like your picture! (And I have a ton of turkey stock leftover from cooking down unwanted turkey parts.)

  4. Hi Annie, Nate and family,
    Making my simpler version now.just looking for inspiration of additional ingredients. Loved seeing House of Annie pop up! Great photos Nate ! I do believe that’s your hand pouring the scallops in. No? Nice shot . Thanks for the warm smile @ 03:30 😉 Will tell Mom soup was made with added love from Annie & Nate

  5. I’m spoiled – I make it as does this simple recipe, but add ground pork sausage, cloud’s ear fungus, bamboo and or water chestnuts and most importantly soya skin bean sheet, which is a little hard to find. Then the toppings are: minced ginger, cilantro, green onion, minced salted turnip – a necessity, sesame oil, and finally dash of soy sauce. The flavors are so complex and wonderful – you will pee your pants.

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