Recipes, re-invented from cooking shows
Masa Harina Turkey Breast with Huancaína Sauce
Prep. Time:
30 minutes (plus 30–120 minutes marinating)
Baking Time:
35 minutes
Total Time:
Approximately 1 hour 35 minutes (including minimum marinating)
Serves:
Serves 2
Lorena created this dish for Tournament of Champions ™ Season 7. Competing as the B Division's #1 seed - identity concealed until she walked onto the arena floor - Lorena Garcia used the Randomizer result of turkey breast, zucchini, air fryer, and creamy to build a compressed survey of her culinary...
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Ingredients
TURKEY MARINADE
1 cup / 240 ml buttermilk
1 tsp / 3 g togarashi (shichimi or ichimi)
1 tsp / 3 g ground cumin
½ tsp / 1.5 g dried oregano
½ tsp / 1.5 g garlic powder
1 tsp / 6 g salt
2 turkey breast tenderloins (approx. 6 oz / 170 g each), silver skin removed
HUANCAÍNA SAUCE
1 tbsp / 15 ml neutral oil
½ medium yellow onion, roughly chopped / 60 g
2 large garlic cloves / 10 g
2–3 tbsp / 35–50 g aji amarillo paste (or 2 fresh aji amarillo)
⅔ cup / 160 ml full-fat evaporated milk
3 oz / 85 g cream cheese, softened
2 oz / 55 g queso fresco, crumbled
4–5 saltine crackers
Salt and white pepper, to taste
KIMCHI AIOLI
⅓ cup / 75 g kewpie mayonnaise
3 tbsp / 45 g well-fermented kimchi, finely minced
1½ tsp / 10 g honey
1 tbsp / 15 ml fresh lime juice
1 tbsp / 15 ml fresh orange juice
Pinch of salt
SALSA CRIOLLA
½ medium red onion, very finely sliced into rings / 60 g
1 medium ripe tomato, seeded and finely diced / 120 g
2 tbsp / 8 g fresh coriander (cilantro), roughly chopped
1½ tbsp / 22 ml lime juice
½ tsp / 2.5 g aji amarillo paste or fresh red chilli, minced
1 tbsp / 15 ml extra-virgin olive oil
Salt, to taste
AIR FRYER ZUCCHINI
2 medium zucchini / 350 g total
1½ tbsp / 22 ml extra-virgin olive oil
½ tsp / 3 g flaked sea salt
¼ tsp / 0.7 g freshly ground black pepper
MASA HARINA BREADING
¾ cup / 90 g masa harina (nixtamalised corn flour)
¼ cup / 30 g potato starch
½ tsp / 3 g salt
¼ tsp / 0.7 g cayenne or additional togarashi
2–3 cups / 480–720 ml neutral frying oil (canola or sunflower)
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Instructions
MARINATE THE TURKEY
Trim the turkey tenderloins, removing any silver skin or tendon. Whisk together the buttermilk, togarashi, cumin, oregano, garlic powder, and salt in a bowl. Submerge the turkey, cover, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes — up to 2 hours. The buttermilk tenderises the meat and carries the spice into the flesh. Pat very dry before breading — excess buttermilk prevents the crust from adhering.
MAKE THE HUANCAÍNA SAUCE
Heat the neutral oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Sauté the onion and garlic for 4–5 minutes until softened and translucent. Add the aji amarillo paste and cook for 2 minutes, stirring, until deepened in colour. Transfer to a blender with the evaporated milk, cream cheese, queso fresco, and saltine crackers. Blend on high for 90 seconds until completely smooth and glossy. The sauce should be pourable but thick. Season with salt and white pepper. The sauce can be made ahead and gently warmed before serving.
MAKE THE KIMCHI AIOLI
Squeeze the minced kimchi in a clean cloth or paper towel to remove excess liquid — this prevents the aioli from becoming watery. Combine the kewpie mayonnaise, minced kimchi, honey, lime juice, and orange juice in a bowl. Whisk until smooth. The aioli should be bright and citrus-forward, with the fermented kimchi providing depth and gentle heat. Season with a pinch of salt and refrigerate until service.
MAKE THE SALSA CRIOLLA
Soak the finely sliced red onion rings in cold water for 10 minutes to mellow their raw sharpness. Drain and pat dry. Combine with the diced tomato, coriander, lime juice, aji amarillo paste, and olive oil. Toss gently, season with salt, and set aside at room temperature. Make close to service so the tomato and herbs remain bright.
ROAST THE ZUCCHINI IN THE AIR FRYER
Slice the zucchini into rounds approximately 1.5 cm thick. Toss with olive oil, sea salt, and black pepper. Arrange in a single layer in the air fryer basket — do not overlap; cook in batches if necessary. Air fry at 400°F / 200°C for 10–12 minutes, flipping halfway, until deeply charred on the cut surfaces and just tender through. Do not crowd or over-season.
BREAD AND FRY THE TURKEY
Remove the turkey from the buttermilk marinade and pat thoroughly dry with paper towels. Combine the masa harina, potato starch, salt, and cayenne in a shallow dish. Dredge each tenderloin in the breading, pressing firmly on all sides to ensure complete, even coverage. Shake off any excess. Heat the frying oil in a heavy saucepan or cast-iron skillet to 350°F / 175°C. Fry the tenderloins for 4–5 minutes per side until the crust is deeply golden and the turkey is cooked through to an internal temperature of 165°F / 74°C. Drain on a wire rack over a tray — not paper towels, which trap steam under the crust. Rest for 2 minutes before slicing.
PLATE
Pool the warm huancaína sauce in a generous arc across one side of each plate. Slice the turkey tenderloin on the diagonal and fan the slices at the sauce's edge, allowing the golden crust to remain visible. Arrange the air-fried zucchini rounds in a cluster. Add a neat spoonful of kimchi aioli nearby — a contrasting, brighter cream against the deeper huancaína. Spoon the salsa criolla over and around. The finished plate should read as a rainbow: golden crust, amber sauce, green-flecked aioli, red and green salsa criolla, charred zucchini.
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