SERVES 4 AS A MAIN COURSE, 6 TO 8 AS PART OF A MULTICOURSE MEAL
These little birds smoke and cook through in one step; they are both easy and delicious. Unlike many restaurant preparations involving quail, here the bones are left in and the eating is done with the fingers. It’s fun and informal, and the juices retained by cooking the bird on the bone more than compensate for any inelegance when you go at it with your hands.
Rubbing poultry with seasoned salt and stuffing its cavity with ginger and scallion serve a two-fold purpose in the traditional, refrigerator-less world of Chinese cooking. One, the seasonings flavor and perfume the bird. Two, they preserve it. It is still important that you start with a very fresh bird, but one should not be afraid to marinate it this way at a cool room temperature.
8 fresh whole quail
MARINADE:
5 teaspoons Roasted Szechwan Pepper-Salt (page 5)
8 quarter-size coins fresh ginger, smashed and cut in half
8 scallion nuggets, 1 inch long, smashed
1 scrubbed small orange
SMOKING MIXTURE:
¼ cup fragrant dry black tea leaves, such as lichee black or rose black
¼ cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup raw rice
1 tablespoon Szechwan peppercorns
Several pieces cassia or cinnamon bark, crumbled
Several finely pared strips of fresh orange zest, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons China Moon Chili-Orange Oil (page 15), Ma-La Oil (page 17), Five-Flavor Oil (page 13), or Japanese sesame oil, for brushing the quail
Coriander sprigs or scallion brushes, for garnish
1. With a thin-bladed cleaver or chef’s knife, cut off and discard the neck of the quail. Cut off any long pieces of neck skin, leaving a little turtleneck of skin to shield the breast during smoking. Cut off the feet just below the knees. Discard the kidneys and any bloody bits or loose membranes. Flush the birds well with cold water. Pat dry inside and out.
To get the most quail onto the smoking rack at one time, arrange them head to tail in concentric rings starting near the outside of the rack. The configuration suggests an aerial view of an Esther Williams fantasy—a very amusing notion when one is smoking a bunch of quail.
2. Sprinkle ⅛ teaspoon of the pepper-salt in the inside of each quail. Sprinkle the outside of each bird with ½ teaspoon of the pepper-salt and rub the seasoning into the skin. Put the quail in “lotus position” by folding their wings behind them; this plumps the breast. Stuff the cavity of each bird with a piece of ginger and scallion. Complete the lotus posture by crossing the legs over one another and anchoring the knees in the cavity; this makes each bird an attractive package that looks especially nice when cut. Arrange the quail, breast side up, with ½ inch between them on a large plate. Grate a light sprinkling of orange zest evenly on top. Seal and marinate 3 to 4 hours at room temperature or refrigerate overnight. Let come fully to room temperature before smoking.
3. Line a 14- to 16-inch wok or heavy pot and lid with heavy-duty aluminum foil, leaving hems of at least 3 inches. Combine the tea, sugar, rice, peppercorns, bark, and zest. Arrange the quails, breast side up with at least ½ inch between them, on a rack that fits into the pot and stands 1½ to 2 inches above the bottom. Spread the smoking mixture in a ¼-inch-thick layer in the bottom of the pot. Set the rack in place over the mixture. Turn the heat as high as possible and wait for the mixture to send up several thick plumes of smoke, 5 to 10 minutes depending on your stove. Cover the pot, crimp the foil hems shut, and smoke the quail for 8 minutes. Turn off the heat (if the stove is electric, carefully move the pot to a cool burner) and let the quail rest, undisturbed, for 5 minutes. Remove the lid and discard the foil. The birds should be a lovely gold. If they are pale, turn to page 166 for rescue advice. Test for doneness by piercing the thickest portion of the breast with the tip of a paring knife. If the juices do not run clear, pop the quail into the upper third of a 400°F oven to finish cooking to the desired doneness, 2 to 4 minutes or more. Brush the birds with the infused oil.
4. Serve the quail freshly smoked or at room temperature. If serving hot from the smoker, let the birds rest for 5 minutes before cutting. Otherwise, let the quail come to room temperature and seal and refrigerate uncut. Bring to room temperature before serving. To serve: Cut the quail in half lengthwise through the breast and backbone. Remove the scallion and ginger from the cavities. Arrange the quail on individual plates or a platter, piling them at an angle for height. Garnish with coriander sprigs or scallion brushes.
MENU SUGGESTIONS: We like to feature the quail as part of a China Moon antipasto plate, along with Chili-Orange Cold Noodles (page 396), a salad of baby greens dressed with Orange Vinaigrette (page 25), and a hill of Ginger-Pickled Red Cabbage Slaw (page 61).