At first glance, festive feasting on a large domesticated North American bird at Christmastime is as deceiving as the perennial snow-themed log cakes local consumers buy into year after year. It’s actually hard to rationalise our near obsession with the turkey every Yule season. Honestly, aside from its popular feature in mock bacon and the odd sandwich, turkey doesn’t regularly feature at any Singaporean dinner table. That, however, has not stopped chefs here from exercising their creative muscles in the hope of winning over a new audience.

One of the earliest hits was the tandoori turkey. Tandoor North Indian Restaurant dished out this North Indian rendition in 1997 — marinated overnight with a mix of yoghurt, vinegar, chillies, spices, ginger and garlic, spiked with lemon juice then grilled in the traditional oven. (Turkey clearly benefits from the rich marinade and slow-cooking process.)

Rang Mahal had served variations of the turkey as part of its festive menus in the late 1980s (only available to regular guests as a takeaway item upon request) but in 2005, the restaurant’s executive sous chef Vinod Kumar came up with his tweaked recipe and it quickly became a signature feature.

Royal Plaza on Scott’s executive chef Darren Ong has not only proffered his own version of the tandoori turkey but other locally inspired adaptations along the way, including a char siew version, a buah keluak version and this year’s offering, rendang turkey.

“It is a great way to introduce local flavour to friends from overseas with a dish that they are familiar with,” Ong said. “Rendang is often served during festivities in Asia and it is a popular dish to share among families and friends. Aptly, the turkey is usually consumed at celebrations too. I found a great synergy between these two dishes.”

In 2012, Peony Jade decided to serve braised turkey with lotus seed and sea cucumber, alongside a sambal turkey served with nasi biryani; but Goodwood Park Hotel’s varieties through the years may just take the cake.

It offered its version of the turducken (essentially a chicken stuffed into a duck, stuffed into a turkey) in 2005, with layers filled with a stuffing of dried shiitake and button mushrooms, chestnuts, red dates, Chinese chicken sausages and glutinous rice. It went on to introduce the Hainanese turkey for two years running (2006 and 2007). It was a cheeky east-meets-west rendition with a clear nod to the iconic local dish, featuring ingredients such as ginger, garlic, spring onions, superior chicken stock, pandan leaves and house-made condiments, complete with authentic Hainanese rice balls.

The hotel later came up with “turkey satay”, a baked boneless turkey stuffed with Shanghai noodles, poached soy sauce turkey with tau kwa and fragrant rice and baked Singapura turkey with homemade achar, yellow basmati rice and curry.

So if you must have turkey at the Christmas table you might want to sample some of these instead.

DELI AT GOODWOOD PARK HOTEL. This year’s offering of steamed-baked turkey may not scream “alternative”, but it does boast some unique touches. Executive Chef Foo Jong Kwang’s latest Asian-inspired turkey is a combination of tender meat stuffed with whole chestnuts, black mushrooms, bamboo shoots, carrots and spring onions, paired with oyster sauce-braised vegetables and fragrant jin hua ham — a cured speciality from Zhejiang — served with yam rice. S$198 for eight to 12 persons. Until Dec 26. Orders must be placed three days in advance. Call 6730 1867/1868.

GOURMET CAROUSEL AT ROYAL PLAZA ON SCOTTS. This truly kampong-inspired rendition is marinated with the familiar Malay herbs and spices and served with fragrant rice, chicken begedil stuffing, vegetable masala and rendang gravy. Unlike the traditional roasted bird, the turkey here is first slow-poached in a rendang stock for 45 minutes to allow the flavours to sink in and tenderise the meat, before it is covered with a special rendang paste and cooked in a rotisserie oven; the adapted rendang gravy is of a lighter consistency to complement the turkey’s texture. S$135, serves six to eight. Until Dec 25. Orders must be placed three days in advance. Call 6589 7788.

TANDOOR RESTAURANT AT HOLIDAY INN SINGAPORE ORCHARD CITY CENTRE. The restaurant’s signature turkey is lightly marinated with aromatic Indian spices then grilled and finished in the tandoor. Served with a rich potato and dried fruit stuffing, gourmet vegetables with an adapted and addictive cranberry chilli sauce. S$108. Until Dec 30. Orders must be placed three days in advance. Call 6733 8333.

RANG MAHAL AT PAN PACIFIC SINGAPORE. The restaurant’s all-time favourite is back, cooked in authentic masala spices and stuffed with fragrant basmati rice, dried fruits, quail eggs and tandoor-roasted potatoes, the classic tandoori turkey is available at S$138 (S$118 without stuffing). Until Jan 1. Orders should be placed two days in advance. Call 6333 1788.

PEONY JADE. Conceived as part of its perennial twists on Christmas classics, the Peony Jade’s nan ru (preserved bean paste) turkey stuffed with taro fried rice is a bold offering. Also called red fermented tofu, nan ru is used to marinate the turkey, which is stuffed with wok-fried rice with yam cubes and Japanese dried shrimp, then roasted for 30 minutes to deliver a moist-skinned aromatic turkey. The uniquely savoury bird is accompanied with deep-fried taro chips, prawn crackers, thick nan ru sauce, plum soaked cherry tomatoes and fresh lettuce. Until Jan 1. S$128, serves 10. Orders must be placed three days in advance. Call 6276 9138.

BUTCHER’S DOG. Its Nyonya-Thai inspired Bedazzling Bibik Turkey (S$89 for 3.5 to 4.4kg before roasting or S$108 for 5.5 to 6.3kg before roasting) is brined and marinated for three days with a pungent blend of fried spices and herbs, such as lemongrass, chilies, shallots, garlic, tamarind, blue ginger (galangal), and lime leaves before it is oven roasted for one-and-a-half hours. To complete the experience, it is accompanied with a heady sauce made from the same concoction. Orders must be placed by Dec 19. Call 6836 8498.

CROWNE PLAZA CHANGI AIRPORT. For an east-meets-west option, the hotel’s Festive Baked Turkey with Angelica Root (S$165, approx. 5kg) is marinated with an angelica root powder rub and stuffed with sweet corn, preserved mei cai and Chinese blood sausage. Until Dec 25. Orders must be placed three days in advance. Call 6823 5367.

ELLENBOROUGH MARKET CAFE AT SWISSOTEL MERCHANT COURT. The Pongteh Turkey makes a return as part of the restaurant’s festive buffets. But the highlight of Chef Jason Teo’s festive takeaways is his new Nonya Laksa Turkey (S$138), which utilises a familiar blend of spices and is served with glutinous rice wrapped in lotus leaves alongside an accompaniment of concentrated laksa gravy. Orders must be placed by Dec 19 (noon). Call 6239 1848/1847.

FULLERTON HOTEL. Inspired by the traditional Beggar Chicken, the hotel’s Oriental Turkey (S$269, approx. 4 to 5kg) is cooked with nutritious Chinese herbs such as red dates, wolfberries, dang gui (angelica root), dang sheng (condonopsis pilosula) and yu zhu (Soloman’s Seal), wrapped in a layer of lotus leaves and dough to retain the bird’s natural juices and add flavour to the baked dish. Until Dec 25. Orders must be placed by Dec 21. Call 6877 8989.