NEBRASKAland Magazine is dedicated to outstanding photography and informative writing with an engaging mix of articles and photos highlighting Nebraska’s outdoor activities, parklands, wildlife, history and people.
Issue link: http://mag.outdoornebraska.gov/i/417216
50 NEBRASKAland • DECEMBER 2014 PHOTO BY JENNY NGUYEN E very culture has its own "pub food." For Americans, it's burgers, fries and Buffalo wings. For Vietnamese people, pub food or "mon nhau" consists of dishes such as duck blood soup, toasted dried squid, pickled meats, and various salads and sausages made from parts of animals most westerners would throw away. Growing up, I cannot say that I appreciated these foods. Some family parties and dinner invitations were spent in angst as my brother, Ngoc, and I watched the adults munch away at pig ear salad and tripe. Often, the only thing we found edible at the table was the shrimp chips. This is not to say that Vietnamese pub food isn't good. Unlike Anthony Bourdain, at 10 years old my palate just could not deal with sausage that still resembled the pig's head or a gelatinized pool of duck blood garnished with peanuts and chopped up liver. "I hope you don't get sick, mom," I said as I watched her slurp up the bright, red mixture from a Styrofoam bowl – I think I accused her of being a vampire at one point. And sure enough, her Americanized stomach failed her. I remember watching her run across the street to get to the bathroom as my dad and I were thinking, "I told you so." Though some dishes required some nerve to eat, there were many that were more "normal" and delicious. Roasted or fried quail was one of them – a dish that I happily gnashed and gnawed with eager hands and teeth. I was too young to drink beer then, but I can tell you now that there are few greater things in life than eating perfectly roasted meat and grabbing at beer bottles with greasy, salty hands. Servings: 2 Prep Time: 2 hours and 10 minutes Cooking Time: about 10 minutes Ingredients: • 4 whole quail • 2 tablespoons of soy sauce • 2 tablespoons of Ponzu sauce • 4 teaspoons of sugar • 1 teaspoon of five-spice powder • 1 teaspoon of freshly grated ginger • 3 tablespoons of rice cooking wine (or dry sherry) • 1 green onion, white and light green parts chopped • kosher salt, to taste • 1 tablespoon of oil (or melted butter) Dipping Sauce: • 1 tablespoon of lemon juice • ½ teaspoon of salt • 1 teaspoon of cracked black pepper 1. In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, Ponzu, sugar, five- spice, ginger, rice wine and green onion. Rinse quail under cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Salt well inside and out and place in a zip-close bag. Pour the marinade into the bag, massage and refrigerate for 2 hours. 2. Take birds out of the refrigerator and let them reach room temperature before cooking. Turn broiler on high. Oil the grates on a roasting pan with rack and preheat it in the oven. Remove quail from the marinade and paint the birds with butter or olive oil. 3. Roast the quail for 5 minutes breast-side down. Flip breast-side up and roast for another 2 to 3 minutes, or until skin turns golden. Turn them over on their wings and roast for 1 minute on each side. Do not leave the oven, because it does not take long for the broiler to burn food. Combine dipping sauce ingredients and serve on the side. This recipe is also perfect for grilling and frying. ■ This recipe and photograph originally appeared on Jenny's Food for Hunters blog at Foodforhunters.com. PHOT PHOTO BY O BY JEN JENNY N NY NGUYE GUYEN By Jenny Nguyen Asian-spiced bobwhite quail served with a lemon dipping sauce. Read Jenny's NEBRASKAland blog "Midland Musings." R " Perfectly roasted quail in just 10 minutes. Vietnamese-Style Roasted Quail