Joanne Chang's Asian-American Thanksgiving Dinner

By Food & Wine
Updated May 23, 2017
Chef Joanne Chang uses Asian flavors in superb Thanksgiving recipes like soy-sauce-and-honey-glazed turkey and wasabi deviled eggs.
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Soy-Sauce-and-Honey-Glazed Turkey

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“We never had turkey on Thanksgiving,” says Joanne Chang, “only duck. I love turkey with sage and butter, but I crave the flavors I grew up with.” Here, she marinates and bastes the bird with soy, sesame, honey and ginger, giving it superb flavor and a beautiful mahogany color.

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Sriracha-and-Wasabi Deviled Eggs

Credit: PHOTO © CON POULOS
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Chang’s mother used to make hard-boiled eggs for dinner: She would add them to the beef or chicken she was braising in soy. This is her riff on those eggs, made spicy with hot sauce and wasabi.

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Taiwanese Sesame Cucumbers

Credit: © Con Poulos
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This quick pickle was inspired by Japanese cucumbers dressed in sesame oil, salt and sesame seeds. Chang and her mother created the recipe together, and it’s now a customer favorite at Myers + Chang.

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Sweet-and-Spicy Sesame Walnuts

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A gentle heat makes these seasoned walnuts ideal with cocktails.

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Thai Red-Curry Squash Soup

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Chang switches up the flavors of Thanksgiving’s classic squash soup with a host of Asian ingredients, including curry paste, ginger and coconut milk.

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Edamame, Celery and Fennel Salad with Candied Lemon

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The crunchy mix of ingredients in this salad is unexpected and fun. And the dressing is equally unusual: It’s made with chopped candied lemon as well as soy sauce, toasted-sesame oil and Sriracha, so it’s both sweet and spicy.

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Cranberry, Ginger and Orange Chutney

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This chunky cranberry chutney is super-fresh-tasting because the cranberries are simmered briefly and the orange sections are added near the end of cooking.

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Red-Miso-Glazed Carrots

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Red miso is made from soybeans fermented with barley or other grains. It adds a deep, savory flavor to these buttery carrots.

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Sticky-Rice Dressing

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Chang says, “A Chinese meal isn’t complete without rice; Thanksgiving isn’t complete without stuffing. This sticky-rice dressing combines the best of both worlds.” Chinese sausage makes the rice deliciously sweet and savory. Chang likes using the Kam Yen Jan brand, which has no MSG; look for it at Asian markets.

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Lemon-Ginger Mousse

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Chang likes having fun with the fortunes she puts inside these large green-tea cookies, like “Give the chef a big kiss.” Shaping the tuiles while they’re hot can be tricky, so consider using cotton gloves. This mousse is a terrific way to end Thanksgiving dinner because it’s appropriately indulgent, but also light and tangy. It uses ginger in three forms—fresh, ground and candied—for layers of heat and flavor.

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Maple-Apple Upside-Down Cake

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This is one of the best upside-down cakes ever—the maple syrup infuses both the apples and the cake, making the dessert taste like a stack of apple pancakes.

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