Stuffed quails

Name: Stuffed quails
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: India
Ingredients: 15 ml/1 tbsp coriander seeds; 2.5 cm/1 in piece of cinnamon stick; 2–3 dried red chillies, chopped; 10 ml/1 tsp ginger purée; 1 medium onion, finely chopped; 1.25 ml/¼tsp salt; 15 ml/1 tbsp double (heavy) cream; 15 ml/1 tbsp coriander (cilantro) leaves, chopped; 2 dried, ready-to-eat apricots, finely chopped; 10 ml/2 tsp ginger purée; 10 ml/2 tsp gram flour (besan); 1.25 ml/¼ tsp ground turmeric; 15 g/½ oz seedless raisins; 45 ml/3 tbsp sunflower oil or olive oil; 115 g/4 oz/½ cup natural (plain) yogurt; 50 g/2 oz/½ cup grated paneer (Indian cheese); 4 green cardamom pods, bruised; 1/2 mace blade; 15 ml/1 tbsp sesame seeds; 30 ml/2 tbsp white poppy seeds; naan or Griddle-cooked Flaky Bread, to serve; 4 quails; 1–2 fresh green chillies, finely chopped; 10 ml/2 tsp garlic purée

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

The Complete Indian Regional Cookbook

By Mridula Baljekar

Published 2017

About

The Mughal emperors of Rajasthan were passionate about hunting, so their chefs created a range of game dishes. This one, Batair Mussallam, follows the dictums of traditional Mughal cooking: the birds are stuffed with grated Indian cheese, dried apricots, chillies and spices, then gently braised in an aromatic sauce.

Ingredients

4 quails
naan or Griddle-cooked Flaky Bread, to serve

Method

Clean the quails and wipe them inside and out. Score the skin, making a few incisions in the flesh at the same time.
Thoroughly combine all the stuffing ingredients in a large bowl, then divide into four equal portions.