the trusted axiom "all's fair in love and kitchen stadium" hasn't resolved the recent iron chef dispute in our kitchen. we're both still claiming to be the sole champion of the iron chef quail battle.you know how it is, you get home at 10:30 on a Sunday night, slightly toasted, and there are six quails in the fridge that need to be cooked. JG quickly decided that we'd take three each and stage a quail battle, but didn't set out any other rules and of course we had no judges (our dear friend MC has graciously offered to judge any rematch or subsequent kitchen stadium battles if given enough notice).
so I claim to be the winner with only one quail dish on the basis that
* it was ready in 20 minutes
* it tasted like KFC (this is a good thing, don't deny your inebriated KFC desires)
JG claims to be the winner on the basis that he came up with two excellent roasted quail dishes and one rip-off of my deep-fried winner. we can't remember exactly what seasoning he used (it took over an hour, in which time we drank more wine and feasted on my "bucket" of quail), but we did note the useful fact that they were roasted at 200°c for 25 minutes which resulted in the perfect balance between tender flesh and crispy skin.
deep fried spicy quail
3 medium sized quails
1 fresh chilli, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, grated or finely chopped
1/2 a teaspoon of ground black pepper
1 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of ground five-spice
4 teaspoons of cornflour
oil for coating the birds
oil for deep frying
mix all the seasoning ingredients including garlic and chilli in a wide bowl and combine well with cornflour.
cut each bird in half from the breastbone through to the spine with a cleaver or scissors, and flatten the halves a little.
heat the frying oil (these can be fried in shallower oil if you turn them over halfway through).
coat the quail pieces in oil and then toss in the seasoning mixture until they're well covered.
fry in medium to hot oil for 8-10 minutes or until done, ensuring that the oil isn't so hot that the seasoning burns. some references suggest to test cooked quail in the same manner as chicken, i.e. pierce between the thigh and body to test for clear juices. I've found that this can be misleading with quail, and although they are best served with a slightly pink breast they can sometimes be too underdone when testing clear at the thigh. if in doubt make an incision at the thickest part of the breast through to the bone and check the flesh colour.
drain on paper towel for a minute before serving.
