Quail Masala

Name: Quail Masala
Yield: Serves 6
Cuisine: India
Ingredients: 1 teaspoon ground cumin; ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon; ½ teaspoon ground cloves; ½ teaspoon chilli powder; ½ onion, finely chopped; 3 cm (1¼ inch) piece of ginger, grated; 3 garlic cloves, crushed; 100 g (⅔ cup) blanched almonds; 6 × 150 g (5½ oz) quails; 1 teaspoon jaggery or soft brown sugar; 185 ml (¾ cup) thick plain yoghurt; 2 tablespoons mint leaves, finely chopped; 1 teaspoon garam masala; 1½ tablespoons lemon juice; 50 g (⅓ cup) chopped pine nuts; 60 g (¼ cup) rice; mango or green mango slices; 3 tablespoons lemon juice; cucumber slices; 2 young banana leaves; mint leaves

Preparation info

Serves
6

Difficulty
Complex

Appears in

The Food of India

By Priya Wickramasinghe

Published 2005

About

Quail is an exotic dish, even in india. Many of the royal households traditionally used quail in many different ways. here it is incorporated into a dry-style, steamed recipe. Tender young chicken or spatchcock (poussin) can be successfully used instead.

Ingredients

6 × 150 g (5½ oz) quails

Asia
India
Main course
Spicy
Gluten-free

Method

Clean the quails by rinsing them well and wiping them dry. Prick the flesh all over so that the marinade will penetrate the meat.

To MAKE the marinade, grind the almonds in a food processor or finely chop them with a knife, then mix them with the remaining marinade ingredients. Coat the quails evenly with the marinade, then cover and marinate for 4 hours, or overnight, in the fridge.