Ingredients

  • 2 cups short grain glutinous rice
  • 2 Chinese sausages, cut into rounds
  • 1/4 cup roasted, peeled, and diced chestnuts
  • 3 tablespoons sugar, more if needed
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons dried scallop, reconstituted in water
  • 2 tablespoons gingko nuts
  • 2 tablespoons cubed Chinese ham
  • 1 tablespoon red dates, reconstituted in water
  • 1 tablespoon shao xing cooking wine
  • 1 teaspoon dried shrimp, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup edamame peas
  • 2 tablespoons thinly sliced (on the bias) scallion greens
  • 8 (4 ounce) boneless quail
  • 1 scallion green, blanched, shocked, and squeezed dry
  • 1/3 cup soybean oil
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon pulverized fresh ginger, or to taste
  • 1 cup soybean oil
  • 2 cups garlic chives, cut into 2-inch lengths
  • Salt
  • Soybean oil

Method

  • Rinse the rice 2 times in a bowl of cold water and drain.
  • In a large ovenproof pot, combine the rice, sausages, chestnuts, sugar, soy sauce, dried scallops, gingko nuts, ham, dates, wine, and dried shrimp.
  • Add a scant 3 cups of water, put in a steam oven, and cook until cooked through and soft, 30 to 45 minutes.
  • Fold in the edamame.
  • Taste and adjust the sugar, soy sauce, and salt.
  • Let cool and then fold in the scallions.
  • Stuff about 1/2 cup of the rice mixture into each quail.
  • Put the scallions in a bowl, cover with the oil, and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
  • Puree in a blender and strain through a very fine-mesh sieve, gently pressing to extract the pulp.
  • Add the ginger, to taste.
  • In a small skillet heat the oil over medium heat.
  • Saute the garlic chives, seasoning with salt, until slightly caramelized.
  • You can add a bit of water to help cook the chives through before burning, if needed.
  • Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
  • Heat a large skillet with a little oil.
  • Sear the birds breast side down and then put in the oven until golden, 2 to 3 minutes.
  • Then turn the birds and repeat the process on the other side, cooking until the birds are cooked and the rice is heated through.
  • Serve the whole quail on a bed of chive buds with a few dots of scallion oil to garnish the plate.
  • This recipe was provided by professional chefs and has been scaled down from a bulk recipe provided by a restaurant.
  • The Food Network Kitchens chefs have not tested this recipe, in the proportions indicated, and therefore, we cannot make any representation as to the results.