recipe: turkey tinaktak.

this recipe is a cross between a traditional tinaktak recipe and peter dueñas's rather excellent version at sam choy's on island. this chamoru recipe usually uses ground beef, but mine uses ground turkey for lower fat content; if you seek to make it leaner, use light coconut milk if you can find it. the vegetables are normally cooked with the meat in stew fashion, but i prefer my veggies to be a little more al dente and vibrant, so i've cooked the long beans separately with a very quick steam in the microwave--just lay the veggies in a shallow dish, add a couple tablespoonfuls of water, cover the lot in plastic wrap, and zap for 2 minutes. stop the cooking with a quick ice bath, and you have a nice lightly snappy, bright bean.


turkey tinaktak

1 cup of water
1-2 tablespoonfuls of achiote/annatto seeds
2-3 tbsp. of vegetable oil
1/2 head of garlic, minced
1 small onion, diced
2-3 lbs ground turkey (chicken or beef can be used as well)
1 can of coconut milk
2 cups of cherry tomatoes, cut in half
2-3 cups of long beans, cut into 1-1 1/2 inch pieces
salt, pepper, squeeze of lemon juice

soak achiote seeds in one cup of water for at least 30 minutes. strain the seeds, retain the water for later. heat the vegetable oil in a deep pan over medium high heat. sautée garlic and onion until the onions are translucent, but not browned. add the ground meat, continue to sautée until the meat is browned. add achiote/annatto water. lower heat, add the coconut milk, cherry tomatoes, and pre-cooked long beans (see above), simmer until heated through. season to taste with salt, pepper, and a squeeze of lemon juice.

serve with steamed rice and finadene.

tech tags: recipe local chamoru chamorro