Boxing Day Sorted: Our Favourite Turkey Curry

By the time Boxing Day comes round, most of us have had our fill of turkey sandwiches. But there's usually still plenty of meat left on the bird, and after all the care that goes into raising it, it would be a shame to let any of it go to waste.

This is the curry we turn to every year. It's gently spiced, rich with tomato and finished with a spoonful of yoghurt, and it's just the thing for a cold evening when everyone's still in their Christmas jumpers. You can use your leftover roast turkey, or make it from scratch with diced turkey leg, which stays lovely and tender as it simmers. If you've got twenty minutes spare, have a go at the homemade curry paste below. If not, a good shop-bought one will do the job nicely.

This curry serves 6. It takes about 20 minutes to prepare, plus overnight marinating if you have time, and 45 minutes to cook.

What you'll need

For the curry

• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 900g diced raw Copas turkey leg (or your cooked Christmas leftovers)
• 4 tbsp curry paste, homemade (below) or shop-bought
• Tinned chopped tomatoes
• Natural yoghurt, to finish
• Extra chilli, if you like it hot
• Fresh parsley, chopped, to serve
• Rice or naan bread, to serve

For the homemade curry paste

Start with the whole spices. Toast these in a dry pan until fragrant, then crush them in a food processor:

• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 tsp black peppercorns

Then blend in the rest:

• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 inch stem ginger, finely grated
• 3 tbsp tomato purée
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 red chilli, deseeded (use half for a milder paste)
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

No time to make your own? All the main supermarkets sell a good range of curry pastes, so just use your favourite and skip ahead to the cooking.

How to make it

1. Rub 1 tbsp of the curry paste into the turkey. If you can, do this the night before and leave it in the fridge so the flavour really gets into the meat. Just before cooking is fine too.
2. Heat the sunflower oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Once it's hot, add the diced turkey leg and cook until browned all over. If you're using leftovers, skip this step for now. Make the sauce first, then stir the cooked turkey in at the end to warm through.
3. Add the rest of the curry paste and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring now and then.
4. Tip in the tinned tomatoes, turn up the heat and bring to the boil.
5. Turn the heat back down and leave it to simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Keep an eye on it. If it's thickening before the turkey is cooked through, add a splash of water or stock and pop the lid on.
6. Take the pan off the heat and stir through the yoghurt. Add a little extra chilli if you like it hot.
7. Scatter over some chopped parsley and serve with rice or warm naan bread.

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