Spring/Summer

Roast Quail served with Mango Salad

Ingredients:

-        4 Quails

-        Fine seasalt

-        Ground pepper

-        Five spice powder

-        Caster Sugar

-        Rice bran oil

Salad:

-        I mango just ripe enough to eat

-        2 red radish

-        100 grammes Arugula (rocket) or Mesclun mixed greens

-        1 tablespoon orange juice

-        1 cup lemon juice

-        1 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar

-        2 tablespoon Olive Oil

-        1 pinch of salt

-        1 cup of ice water with a few drops of lemon juice

Method:

1.     Clean the quails thoroughly like you clean a chicken, dry them thoroughly with paper towel.

2.     Rub sea salt and ground pepper on the inside of the birds. Rub the outside with sea salt, ground pepper, five spice powder one by one evenly on the birds, while rubbing them on, massage the birds at the same time. Lastly, rub the caster sugar on.

3.     Put the birds in the fridge without covering for an hour or so.

4.     Preheat the oven to 220C (425F) or 210C for a convection oven at least 20 mins before you are ready to roast the birds. Line the quails one by one on a roasting rack, brush them with Rice Bran oil before put them into the preheated oven.

5.     Depends on the size of your quail, roast them for about 15 – 20 mins or until they give out pale pink juice when you pierce them with a skewer. Take them out and rest them for 10 to 15 mins by covering them loosely with tin foil.

6.     While waiting for the quail to rest, prepare the salad. Clean the red radish and cut them into fine slices, put the slices into the ice water with lemon juice and set aside for 5 mins. Meantime, clean, drain and dry the Arugula or Mesclun, peel and cut the mango into long strips of 1 cm wide.

7.     Prepare the dressing by mix well the 1 table spoon lemon juice, sea salt, Balsamic vinegar and olive oil and set aside.

8.     Take the red radish out from the ice water and dry them, put them into a salad bowl with the Arugula or mixed greens and toss them with enough dressing (you may have more dressing than you need), then put in the mango and gently toss in the orange juice. 

Hint:

-        Rub the seasoning onto the quail, proportion of the seasoning is not adamant. The caster sugar is for colour and some balance with the 5 spice powder, therefore rub in last.

-        To put the quail in the fridge uncovered after seasoning and to brush oil before roasting is to try to achieve some crispy texture to the skin.

-        Put the slices of red radish into the ice water with a few drops of lemon juice is to take away the bitter taste of the radish but at the same time maintain the crispiness of the radish. If you like the slightly bitter taste, skip this step.

-        To cook the whole quail with bone in, you will be able to get a more juicy and tasty bird after it is cooked. However, many people prefer boneless or semi de-boned quail, just bear in mind the meat will be easier to get dry when cooking. If you cannot get semi de-boned quails and have to do it yourself, follow the below steps:

1.     Cut the neck bone and trim the tips of the wings

2.     Take out the wishbone by slightly cut the flesh round it and pull it out by your forefinger.

3.     Turn the quail breast side up and press the chest down with your palm. Quail bones are very brittle and you could easily break its ribcage.

4.     Turn the quail with the back side up, use a pair of kitchen scissors to take the spine off by cutting both sides of the spine.

5.     Now turn the butterflied and flatten quail with breast sides up, you should be able to use your fingers to separate the broken rib cage on both sides and the flesh, use your paring knife if needed.

6.     Keep the neck bone, wing tips and broken rib cage for sauce.