Vietnamese Style Quails

Serves 6.

Ingredients

6 quails
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine or dry sherry
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder
1 teaspoon hoi sin sauce

Directions

Cut each quail in half lengthwise and wipe out the body cavity with paper towels. If the quails have been frozen, dry them well after defrosting. Combine the fish sauce, wine, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, pepper, five-spice powder and hoi sin sauce in a shallow bowl. Marinate the quails in the mixture, turning them a few times, or cover with plastic and refrigerate overnight. Barbecue the quails on a well-oiled grill, skin side upwards, and cook until done on one side. Brush skin with vegetable oil, turn the pieces over with tongs and cook other side, not too close to the heat. When skin is brown and crisp transfer to a warm dish and serve with a salad or rice.


Recipe excerpted from Encyclopedia of Asian Food by Charmaine Solomon (Periplus Editions, 1998)