Quails with Indian Spices
Serves 4.
Ingredients
4 quails
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon oil
3 tablespoons natural yoghurt
3 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground rice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
Directions
Split the quails down the back with poultry shears and open out flat. Rinse and clean cavity and dry thoroughly with paper towels. Crush garlic with the salt until very smooth. Mix with the ginger and all other ingredients and rub mixture on both sides of each quail. Cover and marinate at room temperature for 1 hour or refrigerate if longer marinating time is more convenient. Two skewers may be used to keep the birds flat during cooking.
Place under a preheated grill or barbecue, turning and brushing the quails twice with the remaining marinade. If marinade is too thick to brush on, add a tablespoon each of oil and water. Cook until the quails are brown and crisp (ground rice gives a crunchy coating) and serve with spiced rice and a salad of sliced cucumbers with yoghurt.
Recipe excerpted from Encyclopedia of Asian Food by Charmaine Solomon (Periplus Editions, 1998)