Recipe: How to make Butter Quail

Bored of the traditional non-veg dishes? Give quail meat a shot!

Replacing chicken with quails, Chef Rishi Desai stirred up this yummy meal in the butter invention test on MasterChef Australia Season 5.

Here's the recipe:

Butter Quail with Butter Naan

Ingredients

• 2 cups plain flour
• 1/2 cup yoghurt
• 3 tsp cumin seeds
• 3 tsp coriander seeds
• 6 garlic cloves
• 1 cm piece ginger
• 1 tsp chilli flakes
• 1 lemon (juiced)
• 2 quails
• 250 gm butter
• 1 large or 2 small onions (finely chopped)
• 2 tomatoes (diced)
• 1 cup cashews (roasted)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp ground cayenne
• A pinch of saffron
• 60 ml thickened cream
• Caster sugar to taste
• Vegetable oil, to drizzle
• Salt to taste

Method

• Place flour, yoghurt, a pinch of salt and one fourth cup of water into a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook.
• Mix to form a dough. Knead for about five minutes until smooth and elastic.
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and set aside until needed.
• Heat a frying pan over medium heat.
• Add cumin and coriander seeds. Saute for one to two minutes or until fragrant.
• Grind seeds in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder.
• Blend four garlic cloves, ginger, chilli flakes, lemon juice, and a tablespoon each of ground cumin and coriander into a paste.
• Debone quail and separate legs from breasts.
• Rub a tablespoon of the paste onto the quail. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to marinate.
• Melt 125 gm of the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
• Add the remaining ginger and garlic paste. Cook for about a minute or until fragrant.
• Add onions and cook for about five minutes or until softened.
• Add tomatoes. Cook for around five minutes until broken down.
• Transfer mixture to a blender with cashews, the remaining ground cumin and coriander, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, cayenne and saffron. Blend to a puree.
• Melt 50 gm of the butter in another saucepan over medium heat.
• Add puree and simmer for about five minutes until thickened.
• Strain puree through a fine sieve into a clean saucepan.
• Place over medium heat, slowly stir in 50 gm of the butter and cream, and cook for about five minutes. Stir regularly.
• Season to taste with salt and sugar. If sauce separates, whisk in one to two tablespoons water until combined. Keep the sauce aside.
• Place a chargrill pan over high heat. Drizzle quail with oil.
• Cook for about one to two minutes each side until cooked to medium. Remove quail, cover loosely with foil, and set aside to rest for five minutes.
• Divide the naan dough into four evenly-sized balls.
• Roll each ball into a 2 mm thick disc.
• Melt the remaining 25 gm butter in a large frying pan over high heat.
• Cook each side of the naan bread for about two minutes, until puffed and golden.

To serve

• Place sauce on the plate. Top it with quail.
• Serve with butter naan.

Photographs: Kind Courtesy Tenplay.com.au

MasterChef Australia Season 8 airs at 9 pm, Monday to Friday on Star World and Star World HD in India.

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