Thanksgiving is approaching fast and I couldn’t wait to prepare fresh homemade meals for my family. I told my husband that throughout this week, I will serve him Thanksgiving dishes everyday . . . only for him to have seconds on Thanksgiving day.
Every Thanksgiving I would start out in the kitchen from the early morning. The first order of business, bake a turkey. I would cook up at least eight dishes plus desserts to feed the whole army which includes my own family, my husband’s brother’s side of the family and our friends. Our traditional Thanksgiving and Christmas meals usually start at noon and end late at night after the dinner. A full day fulfilled with good food, love, warmth and gratitude.
Usually on Thanksgiving day, I’m usually steeped with the preparation that I can’t blog. This year, I decided to make my favorite Thanksgiving dishes a head of time to share with my blog readers through my Facebook page. Thanks to my family who is willing to sacrifice their normal meals so that I can achieve my plan.
If you haven’t checked it out yet, head over there for more food: http://www.facebook.com/TheSpicesOfLife
One of my favorite dishes to serve on this holiday season is Chim Cút Rôti (deep fried quails). I like to serve Chim Cút Rôti with mashed potatoes or black rice (xôi nếp than) with Chinese sausages (lạp xưởng) and thousand year eggs (trứng bắc thảo) and a side dish of pecan butter sweet potatoes. Quails marinated with some of my favorite ingredients like garlic, shallots, curry powder and five-spice powder give this dish a full, wonderful aroma.
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Ingredients
For Fried Quails
A pack of 6 Quails, washed thoroughly with salt, pat dried with paper towel
2 tablespoons chopped Garlic
2 tablespoons chopped Shallots
1/4 cup Soy Sauce
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) Brown Sugar
3 tablespoons Oil
1/2-1 teaspoon Pepper
1 teaspoon Five Spice Powder
1/2 tablespoon Curry Powder
Oil, for deep fry
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Making Fried Quails
Combine the marinate ingredients together in a bowl and mix well. Add quails to marinate and leave to marinate for at least 1 hour or overnight in the fridge.
Put oil in a wok or a saucepan over high heat. To tell when oil is hot enough for deep frying, dip a chopstick l into the oil as it heats up. If the oil starts to bubble steadily, then the oil is hot enough for frying. Reduce the heat to medium low. Remove the quails from marinate and fry the quails for 5 minutes or until crisp and golden. During the frying process, use a strainer to remove the marinated garlic and shallots and save it. Remove quails from oil then place onto paper towel. Brush quails all over with melted butter for a glossy finish and enhanced flavor.
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Making Roti Sauce
In a saucepan, cook the left over marinate sauce over medium heat for about a couple minutes. Add the fried marinated garlic and shallots. Pour into a small bowl and serve it as a roti sauce. Last year, instead of deep frying, I seared the marinated quails then combined the roti sauce with the quails and baked, then broiled for the last couple minutes.
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Presentation
Enjoy quails with a mixture of salt, pepper, and lime juice dipping sauce.
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Have a warm, sweet, joyful Thanksgiving!