if you don't want to make a whole turkey for Christmas
This is the perfect Asian-fusion Christmas recipe if you’re looking for a quick and simple air fryer recipe!
If you can’t be bothered making a whole roast turkey, then you’re gonna love this. This dim sum is stuffed with minced turkey and brie cheese – so you can enjoy turkey during the festival celebrations without spending hours looking over your oven.
This recipe is entirely made in the air fryer so if you’re lazy, you’re gonna love this recipe!
Asian-fusion turkey dish!
If I’m going to be honest, whenever my parents visit for Christmas dinner, we would always eat Chinese food, such as Cantonese crab pot, steamed fish, Chinese BBQ (like char siu), rice and noodles. My Chinese parents don’t particularly love Western food, so every Christmas spread has been similar to a big Chinese restaurant dinner.
I’m not complaining though. I love Chinese food and love spending time with my parents.
But! I’d love to have my parents try more western food – to show them all the delicious food out there in the world.
But it’s so difficult getting them to eat western food, so for Christmas this year, I decided to make an Asian-fusion Christmas inspired dish – the turkey and brie cheese dim sum! It’s still got turkey and cranberry sauce, but in dim sum form!
How to make it SUPER crispy!
The key to making the dim sum super crispy is to use spring roll pastry!
If you’ve seen Culinary Class Wars Season 1 (Korean cooking show on Netflix), you’ll know that I took inspiration from chef Jun Ji Sun’s Mala Cream Dim Sum! You can check out my recipe to the viral Netflix Mala Cream Dim Sum here!
The spring roll pastry is defrosted, then cut into thin strips! My knife skills aren’t the best so mine turned out thick still, but if you can cut it very thin and fine it’ll be even crispier!
The filling is JUICY
The filling is made of turkey mince. The reason why I used turkey mince, aside from it being a festival meat, is to because it’s super juicy and tender even if you overcook it slightly.
Whereas with beef, chicken or pork mince, I tend to find that they overcook really easy and dry out.
And if there’s something that Chinese people dislike, it’s dry meat.
I also added brie cheese in the centre so when you bite into the dim sum, you can taste gooey cheese. This combo goes so well with cranberry sauce!
Tips for you!
Here are some more tips if you’re making this for the first time:
- Cut the spring roll pastry finely: if you want the dim sum to be super crispy, cut the spring roll pastry into very fine shreds. They will crisp up in the air fryer and cook more evenly too.
- Spray or brush with oil: before air frying the dim sum, don’t forget to spray the dim sum with some cooking oil. This will help them get crispy and golden brown!
- Garnish well: If you’re making this dish for Christmas, garnish each piece of dim sum with yuzu mayo, cranberry jelly and a thin slice of scallions. The red and green colours are super festive!
Turkey & Brie Cheese Dim Sum
Ingredients
Method
- Cut the brie cheese into 8 even pieces.
- Set aside while preparing the filling.
- In a large bowl, add the turkey mince, sesame oil, white pepper, salt, chicken bouillon powder, sugar, and corn starch.
- Mix thoroughly until the mixture becomes sticky and well combined.
- Divide the mixture into 8 equal portions and roll into balls.
- Flatten one turkey ball in the palm of your hand.
- Place a piece of brie in the centre and wrap the turkey mixture around it, sealing completely.
- Repeat with the remaining turkey and brie.
- Stack the spring roll pastry sheets and cut them into very fine strips using a sharp knife.
- Gently press the pastry strips all over each turkey ball until fully coated.
- Lightly spray or brush each piece with vegetable oil.
- Place the dim sum into the air fryer basket, leaving space between each piece.
- Air fry at 160°C for 15 minutes, or until the turkey is fully cooked and the pastry is golden and crisp.
- Transfer the dim sum to a serving plate.
- Top each piece with a small dollop of yuzu mayonnaise and cranberry jam
- Finish with sliced scallions and serve immediately.
