Asian Style Quail Recipes

ASIAN STYLE QUAIL

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 240C degrees /475F degrees .
• Rinse quail, then dry them well with kitchen paper and rub each one inside and out with a little salt.
• Mix the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Rub each of the quail inside and out with this sauce.
• Put the quails in a small roasting pan and put them into the oven for 5 minutes. Then turn the heat down to 180C degrees /350F degrees and continue to roast the birds for another 20 minutes.
• Turn off the oven and leave them there for another 5 minutes.
• Take them out of the oven and let them rest for another 10 minutes before serving.
• Serve the quails whole or joint into breast and legs.
• Arrange on a warm platter.

WHOLE QUAIL WITH STICKY RICE WITH CHINESE SAUSAGE

Steps:

• To make the quail with rice:
• Rinse the rice 2 times in a bowl of cold water and drain. In a large ovenproof pot, combine the rice, sausages, chestnuts, sugar, soy sauce, dried scallops, gingko nuts, ham, dates, wine, and dried shrimp. Add a scant 3 cups of water, put in a steam oven, and cook until cooked through and soft, 30 to 45 minutes. Fold in the edamame. Taste and adjust the sugar, soy sauce, and salt. Let cool and then fold in the scallions. Stuff about 1/2 cup of the rice mixture into each quail.
• To make the scallion oil:
• Put the scallions in a bowl, cover with the oil, and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Puree in a blender and strain through a very fine-mesh sieve, gently pressing to extract the pulp. Add the ginger, to taste.
• To make the garlic chives:
• In a small skillet heat the oil over medium heat. Saute the garlic chives, seasoning with salt, until slightly caramelized. You can add a bit of water to help cook the chives through before burning, if needed.
• To serve:
• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
• Heat a large skillet with a little oil. Sear the birds breast side down and then put in the oven until golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Then turn the birds and repeat the process on the other side, cooking until the birds are cooked and the rice is heated through.
• Serve the whole quail on a bed of chive buds with a few dots of scallion oil to garnish the plate.

PAN-COOKED QUAIL, VIETNAMESE-STYLE

Steps:

• Cut along each side of breastbone of each bird, then straight down through where thigh meets body to get 2 semi-boneless halves from each bird. (Don't worry if skin holding thigh and drumstick together separates.) Combine other ingredients except oil, herb and lime wedges and marinate for at least an hour, or overnight in a refrigerator, if you have time.
• Drain quail of marinade and strain and reserve marinade. Pat birds dry. If you have a skillet large enough to hold quail in one layer, put oil in it; if not, put 2 tablespoons of oil in each of two skillets. Turn heat to high and, when oil is hot, sauté quail, skin-side down, until nicely browned, about 4 minutes. Turn and brown other side for 2 or 3 minutes, or until quail are cooked through. Remove to a platter and keep warm.
• Lower heat and remove any excess fat from skillet (there may not be any). Add strained marinade, along with 1/4 cup water, and raise heat to high. Cook, stirring and scraping any browned bits from bottom of pan, until liquid is reduced to about 1/4 cup. Spoon over quail and serve immediately, garnished, if you like, with herbs and lime.

FRIED QUAIL WITH SPICY SALT

Steps:

• To make the spicy salt and pepper, combine the ingredients and dry fry over a low heat for 2-3 minutes or until aromatic.
• Split each quail in half down the middle and clean well.
• Marinate with the teaspoon of spicy salt and pepper, sugar, soy and rice wine for 2-3 hours, turning frequently.
• Coat each quail piece in flour, dustin off the excess.
• Fill a wok to 1/4 full with oil and heat the oil to 190c.
• Fry the quail for 2-3 minutes each side then remove from the wok and drain on kitchen paper.
• Serve with the lemon wedges on the side.

CHINESE ROASTED QUAIL

Steps:

• Whisk together water, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, xa xiu powder, and five-spice powder in a large glass or ceramic bowl. Add halved quails and toss to evenly coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Remove quail from the marinade, shake off excess, and place cut-sides up on a broiler pan. Discard the remaining marinade.
• Broil in the preheated oven until juices run clear, about 20 minutes. Turn on the broiler and flip quail so cut-sides are facing down. Broil until skin is browned and slightly crispy, about 5 minutes, keeping a constant eye on the oven to prevent burning. An instant-read thermometer inserted near the bone should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).

CHINESE-STYLE QUAIL WITH SEASONED SALT

Steps:

• Check quail for any stray bone fragments or feathers. If there are V-shaped grilling pins protruding (these shape the partly boned birds), leave them in place. Rinse, and pat dry with paper towels.
• In small skillet or saute pan, combine salt, peppercorns, star anise and cinnamon. Place over high heat, and stir or shake until peppercorns begin to smoke. Set aside, and allow to cool.
• Place soy sauce in mixing bowl, add quail, and turn until they are lightly coated. Sprinkle the salt mixture (avoid the whole spices) sparingly inside the quail, and somewhat liberally outside. Put quail on a rack to dry at room temperature for 1 hour.
• While quail are drying, remove whole spices (peppercorns, star anise, cinnamon) from the salt, and grind them in spice grinder to a coarse powder. Add all of the remaining salt to the powder, and continue to process until finely ground. Transfer mixture to small serving bowl. Add sugar, and mix well. Set aside.
• In large, wide saucepan over medium-high heat, add peanut oil to a depth of at least 2 inches, and heat to about 375 degrees. Add quail, in batches if necessary, and fry until lightly golden, about 3 minutes. Remove, and drain on paper towels.
• To serve, remove grilling pins. Use large chef's knife or cleaver to cut each bird in half lengthwise and then diagonally under each thigh. The meat should be slightly pink. Arrange on large platter, and garnish with coriander sprigs. Pass the ground seasoned salt separately for dipping.