Five Spiced Quail - Chef Recipe by Danielle Rensonnet

Ingredients

Master stock:

1 L water
200mL light soy sauce
100mL Shaoxing wine
50 g rock or caster sugar
20 g ginger
1 clove garlic
2 star anise
1 small cinnamon quill
2 pieces dried mandarin peel
5 pieces spring onion, green tops only

Quail marinade:

100 g fermented red bean curd
10mL light soy sauce
10mL Shaoxing wine
5 g Chinese five-spice powder

Spiced flour:

100 g dried long red chilli, deseeded
10 g fresh ginger
3 cloves garlic
50 g caster sugar
50 g sea salt flakes
100 g medium rice flour

6 whole jumbo quail

Method

Quail master stock:

This is best done the day before to allow the quail to marinated overnight to impart flavour.

Place all ingredients into a heavy-based pot and bring to a simmer.

With the kitchen shears, remove neck from quail and discard. Cut quail in half along the backbone and breastbone.

Wipe inside with a clean cloth or paper towel. Place quail into the master stock and simmer for 2 minutes. Turn the stock off.

Allow quail to steep in stock until cool, best left overnight.

Marinade:

This will keep for two weeks in an airtight container or jar.

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend to a smooth paste. Set aside.

Spiced rice flour:

Toast deseeded dried chilli in a wok, or heavy-based pan and set aside. Once cooled, pound in a mortar and pestle.

With a micro-plane, or fine grater, grate peeled ginger and garlic clove.

Sauté ginger and garlic gently in one tablespoon of oil. Add dried chilli and remove from heat.

Place chilli paste in a mortar and pestle and pound with salt and sugar.

Add 10 g of chilli mix to 100 g of medium rice flour and mix well.

Store the remainder of the seasoning in an airtight container in a cool place for later use.

Quail:

Remove quail from cooled master stock and place on a paper towel.

With a kitchen pastry brush, paint quail well on both sides with the marinade.

Lightly flour quail with spiced flour.

Place in a deep fryer, or oil-filled wok, at 170 C.

Fry for 3 minutes, remove and season with a little of the chilli mixture.

Serve immediately and encourage your guests to eat with their hands!

Recipe provided by Fook Shing