Sweet and Sour Bangkok Style Quail with Red Chiles

By andrew.zimmern on Sun, 10/25/2009 - 03:53

Summary

Yield
Prep Time	5 minutes
Main Ingredient	Game birds
Meal	Entrees

Description

This recipe calls for one cup of ketchup. I know it sounds crazy, but it just works. Trust me.

Ingredients

12 boneless whole quail
2 t salt
1 T tumeric
2 t cinnamon
3 T peanut oil
10 dried whole california or mexican chiles…arbols or other long red thin chiles
5 fresh red thai chiles or 1 scotch bonnet/habanero chile
4 stalks lemon grass, cleaned, trimmed and minced
6 minced shallots
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 c ketchup
2⁄3 c white vinegar
5 T sugar
1 T salt.
1 c diced carrots, blanched and cooled
1 c cooked peas (frozen are fine)
40 fresh mint leaves

Instructions

Notes

Toss the quail with the 2t salt, turmeric and cinnamon. Reserve.

Cut off and discard the chile stems, shake out the seeds.

Place the dried chiles into a cup of boiling water and refresh for 10 minutes.

Drain and puree them with the fresh chiles, the shallot, garlic and lemon grass in a food processor. Reserve.

Heat the peanut oil in a very large pan or wok over high heat. Brown the quail and set aside.

Add the chile mixture to the pan and cook for 4 minutes until fragrant and mahogany colored. Add the quail back to pan and cook, tossing, until they are all cooked thoroughly.

Stir in the ketchup and vinegar, the 1T salt and the sugar.

Cook for several minutes after the mixture boils, to heat through and consolidate the flavors, add the vegetables and mint.

Toss and serve immediately with small side bowls of steamed Thai sticky rice at room temperature.