Butter fried quail with mac mat leaves has to be eaten hot to taste right. Once it cools, both the skin and the butter sauce drop a clear notch. The quail are cut down the breast and pressed open flat so they cook evenly, with no need to steam them first.
Scraping off the surface marinade before frying keeps them from burning black. The butter sauce is fried separately with lemongrass and minced garlic, and the birds are tossed in it for about a minute so the butter coats them.
This batch weighs about 1.1kg, at roughly 213 calories per 100g.
Method
Pluck the quail clean, remove the tail and feet, cut down the middle of the breast and press them gently open so they cook evenly.
Rub them inside and out with coarse salt and ginger wine, rinse well and drain thoroughly.
Mince or pound the shallots, garlic, ginger and chilies. Set aside 2 lemongrass stalks and a few minced garlic cloves for the butter sauce, and keep a few mac mat leaves for frying.
Marinate the quail with 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, 1 teaspoon seasoning powder, 1/2 teaspoon MSG, 1 teaspoon pepper, 1 teaspoon five spice powder, 1 teaspoon turmeric powder, 2 teaspoons kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, 1 tablespoon annatto oil and 2 tablespoons cooking oil, then mix in the mac mat leaves along with the minced shallot, garlic, ginger, lemongrass and chili. Leave for 30 to 40 minutes.
Scrape off the clinging marinade, lower the quail into very hot oil, drop in the extra mac mat leaves and fry over medium heat, turning until deep golden, then lift them out to drain.
Put 2 tablespoons oil in a pan, fry the reserved lemongrass and minced garlic until fragrant, add 3 tablespoons margarine and melt it over low heat, then season with 1/2 tablespoon oyster sauce.
When the sauce bubbles, add the quail and toss for about a minute until the butter sauce coats them, then turn off the heat. Serve hot with cucumber, Vietnamese coriander and a pepper, lime and chili dip.
Tips
Quail are small enough that no pre steaming is needed, as medium heat cooks them through evenly.
Scraping the surface marinade off before the birds go into the oil keeps them clean.
This dish is at its best hot, since both skin and butter sauce lose their edge once cool.
A few mac mat leaves dropped into the frying oil lift the aroma.
Cut down the middle of the breast and open the bird out flat, as leaving it whole cooks the breast through while the legs stay raw.
Need kOBE Monk Fruit Blend?
The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.