Quail, daikon & pickled spring onion salad

This salad uses quail (which i'm a big fan of), but you could easily do it with all sorts - poussin, pigeon, chunks of tender beef or even pieces of salmon. Is just really about a marinade plus a few interesting Asian accompaniments.

Get the pickled spring onions done first (you wont nearly use them all here, but they keep for ages in fridge and can be used for all sorts).

Ingredients (for 2):

2 Quail

1-2 large ‘Dutch’ red chillies

½ a small daikon / mooli (if you cant find use another radish or even a cucumber)

Few sprigs of shiso cress (or use small coriander sprigs)

A couple of large slices of pickled ginger

Pickled spring onions (*see below)

Marinade:

2 tablespoons kecap manis (or substitute some dark soy sweetened with a little honey)

1 teaspoon Chinese 5 spice powder

1 teaspoon sesame seeds

1 teaspoon rice vinegar

Plus a pinch of chill powder if you want to spice further.

Dressing:

1 tablespoon kecap manis (or substitute some dark soy sweetened with a little honey)

The juice of ½ a lime

1 teaspoon of sesame oil

*Pickled spring onions:

2 bunches of spring onions

½ cup caster sugar

½ cup rice vinegar

1 cup water

1 star anise

1 slice fresh ginger

1 dried red chilli

- Chop spring onions in to short lengths and place in a jar, bring liquids to boil until sugar dissolves then add rest of ingredients except the s-onions. Allow to cool a bit then pour in to jar with spring onions. Leave for at least 30mins before using. Keep with a lid on in the fridge.

Method:

• Pre heat your oven to 220 degrees C.
• Take the breasts and legs off the quail (or get the butcher to) and mix in a bowl with the rest of the marinade ingredients, chuck away the carcasses (or freeze them for stock later). Leave the meat to marinate for an hour or 2 if you have chance.
• When you’re ready to cook, take the legs out of marinade, place on a small roasting tray and place in the oven for 15 mins, or until cooked though and just crisp
• Meanwhile cut the pickled ginger in to long slithers, do the same with the red chilli (taking the seeds out first).
• Cut the daikon in to v.thin slices (I use a mandolin here).
• Fry the breasts skin side down in a hot pan (with a little splash of oil) for a couple of mins on each side.
• Assemble the dish by laying out the quail pieces and placing the spring onions, radish, ginger, chilli and shiso around.
• Finish by mixing together the dressing ingredients and drizzling over.

A

(thanks to Ben Broomfield for pic http://www.benbroomfield.com)