Taiwanese Turkey Rice

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1. 1Step 1: Break the carcass into manageable pieces that will fit into a large pot. Add the scallions, ginger, star anise, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cover with 8 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer, partially covered with a lid, skimming foam from the surface as needed. Do not skim the fat if you want to use it to fry the shallots. Simmer for 60 minutes.
2. 2Step 2: Strain stock through a fine-mesh sieve into a large heatproof bowl; discard solids. If you want to use the fat from the stock, either spoon it off, or pour it into a separator first and pour it off. Set it aside for frying the shallots. Pour 1 ½ cups stock into a large heatproof measuring glass and set aside for sauce; reserve remaining stock for cooking the rice (2 cups) and re-heating the turkey (½ cup).
3. 3Step 3: Shred turkey with a fork or your hands, removing any skin or chop it up and use it with the meat if you prefer. Set aside or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
4. 4Step 4: If using a raw turkey, sprinkle turkey all over with 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon white pepper; place on a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet and chill, uncovered, at least 1 hour and up to 1 day. (This dry brine will result in more tender, flavorful meat.)
5. 5Step 5: Place the turkey, scallions, ginger, star anise, and 1 teaspoon of salt in a stockpot. Pour in 8 cups of water and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to medium, partially cover with a lid, skim foam from surface as needed, and simmer for 75 minutes. Transfer the turkey to a cutting board and let it sit until cool enough to handle. Shred turkey with a fork or your hands, removing and discarding skin if you are not going to render the fat for frying the shallots (or chop it up and use it with the meat if you prefer).
6. 6Step 6: Strain the stock through a mesh sieve into a large heatproof bowl; discard solids. If you want to use the fat from the stock, either spoon it off, or pour the stock into a separator, letting it sit for a couple minutes until the liquid and fat separate. Then pour off the stock and the remaining liquid will be the fat. Set it aside for frying the shallots. You will need 1 ½ cups of stock for the sauce, 2 cups for the rice, and ½ cup to heat up the turkey if you need to reheat it.
7. 7Step 7: Peel the cooked skin off of the turkey and place it into a small dry skillet.
8. 8Step 8: Then add the fat from the stock into the skillet with the skin. Turn the heat to medium. At first the skillet will bubble as any remaining water evaporates. Once the bubbling stops, turn the heat to low and cook slowly. The turkey skin will crisp as the fat renders. This takes about 30 minutes. Take the turkey skin out and either eat or discard. You will need ½ cup of fat. Use neutral oil to make up any difference.
9. 9Step 9: Heat lard/oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add ½ of the shallots and fry, using chopsticks or tongs to tease apart into separate pieces. Continue to cook, until golden brown, about 4-7 minutes total. If your shallots are browning too quickly, turn the heat down and pull the pan off the heat for a minute to cool it off.
10. 10Step 10: Drain the shallots in a fine-mesh sieve set over a heatproof bowl. Repeat with the remaining shallots, reserving the oil to make the sauce. Transfer shallots to paper towels to finish draining; set aside. Shallots will crisp as they cool.
11. 11Step 11: Heat 1 tablespoon of the reserved shallot oil (or regular oil if you did not make the fried shallots) over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring until fragrant and just starting to color, about 20 seconds. Add the michiu wine (or shaoxing which is easier to find), soy sauce, sugar, ground white pepper, half of the fried shallots, and the reserved 1 ½ cups stock (if you haven’t made the turkey stock use chicken broth instead). Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce is reduced by half and glossy, about 25 minutes.
12. 12Step 12: Rinse the rice and drain it, placing it in a heavy pot (I put the rice in the pot and fill with running water to cover the rice. Swish the rice around with your hands. Repeat twice more, draining the water.) Add 2 cups of the reserved stock or chicken stock. Let the rice sit for 30 minutes. Put the rice on the stove and bring the rice to a simmer over medium heat. Cover with a tight fitting lid and lower the heat to medium low. Cook for 15 minutes. Lower the heat to low and continue cooking for 10 more minutes. Turn off the heat and let the rice sit for 10 minutes.
13. 13Step 13: Put the turkey in a skillet/pan and drizzle with ½ cup turkey stock. Cover with a lid. Heat on low until the turkey is warmed through, about 15 minutes. You can also microwave the turkey for a couple minutes.
14. 14Step 14: Plate the turkey rice:
15. 15Step 15: Use a spatula to divide the rice among bowls and pile shredded turkey onto. Spoon 3 tablespoons of sauce over each bowl and top with reserved fried shallots and a little minced scallion.