This awesome recipe is a family favorite! It was also featured in the Summer 2017 issue of Ballistic Magazine! This dish takes me right back to my time in South Korea. The flavors of the goguchang sauce have become a staple in my cooking. And the sesame flavors add such a beautiful nuttiness to the dish. Before I left for Korea I was told to buy the most expensive bottle of sesame oil I could possibly afford because those are the better ones. And that is exactly what I did, I even spent $40 on one bottle of sesame oil. But it was worth every penny! I have yet to find one as good here in the US. So if you have amazing sesame oil be sure to use it in this dish, it will shine!

Korean Fried Quail with Ginger Scallion Rice

By: Bri Van Scotter, Wilderness to Table

 

Ingredients

For the Quail:

·      6- Quail, breast meat and legs

·      ½ Cup Cornstarch

·      1/3 Cup All-Purpose Flour

·      ½ tsp. Kosher Salt

·      ½ tsp. Black Pepper, ground

·      ½ tsp. Baking Soda

·      1- Large Egg, beaten

·      Peanut Oil for Frying

 

For the Sauce:

·      1-TBS Grape Seed Oil

·      1 –TBS Garlic, minced

·      1/3 Cup Ketchup

·      1/3 Cup Sugar

·      ¼ Gochujang (Korea Red Pepper Paste)

·      4 tsp. White Vinegar

·      1 TBS Sesame Seeds, toasted

 

For the Rice:

·      2-Cups White Rice

·      1 TBS Butter

·      3 TBS Soy Sauce

·      1 TBS Ginger, minced to a paste

·      4- Scallions, cut on the bias

 

Directions:

For the quail, start by combining all the ingredients except the quail in a bowl. Whisk well to combine.

For the sauce, combine all the ingredients together in a saucepan. Whisk till combined. Heat on medium heat till the sauce is thoroughly hot. Turn off the heat.

Then in a large cast iron pot add enough oil to deep fry in. Heat the oil to 350F. It’s helpful to use a thermometer to help keep the heat at 350F. Then place the beaten egg in a bowl and combine with all the quail pieces. Mix thoroughly to coat all the pieces with egg. Then place the quail pieces in the flour mixture, working in about 3 batches; gently place the flour-coated quail in the hot oil and fry for about 3 minutes per batch. The quail are so delicate that they don’t need to fry for very long. Remove the quail from the oil and transfer them to a bowl lined with paper towels.  Sprinkle the quail with kosher salt right after they are taken out of the oil. Then repeat the process with the rest of the quail.

Once all the quail is cooked remove the paper towels from the bowl. Then pour in the sauce and toss to coat all the pieces of quail. Top with toasted sesame seeds.

Cook the rice in a rice cooker, once the rice is done, toss in the butter soy sauce, ginger and scallions. Use 2 forks to mix everything together.

Serve the Korean Fried quail over a bed of ginger scallion rice. Pairs well with a Sauvignon Blanc!