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Lemongrass Grilled Quail plated with rice, tomatoes, lettuce, and cucumber in traditional Vietnamese style

Lemongrass Grilled Quail

A Vietnamese cooking technique uses fish sauce to deliver beautifully cooked quail meat that is never dry.
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Vietnamese
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 8 whole Quail
  • 4 servings Cooked Jasmine rice
  • Lettuce
  • Sliced tomato
  • Sliced cucumber

Marinade

  • 2 lemongrass stalks
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil plus extra
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 tbsp fish sauce
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • Juice from half a lime about 1 tbs.

Sauce

  • 1 clove of garlic minced
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 2½ tbsp fish sauce
  • ½ cup water
  • 1 tsp Sambal Oelek ground fresh chili paste or to taste
  • Juice from half a lime

Instructions
 

  • Separate the legs from each quail. Cut out their backs and flatten the breasts with the palm of your hand. To make quail easier to serve with rice, I recommend deboning the breasts.
  • Remove the tough outer layers of lemongrass and mince the tender lower third of the stalk. Your knife shouldn’t have to work too hard to cut into the tender part. Although the outer layers are edible, they’re too woody to eat.
  • Place minced lemongrass in a medium mixing bowl along with the remaining marinade ingredients. Add quail legs and breasts, cover, and marinate for at least 30 minutes, but no longer than eight hours. Stir it halfway through marinating.
    Traditional Vietnamese marinade for quail
  • In a bowl, combine sauce ingredients and set aside. When ready to cook the quail, prepare the grill for medium-high heat cooking. Remove the quail legs and breasts from the marinade and lightly coat them with oil. Grill skin-side down first until it’s golden brown, flip, and cook through on the other side, about 10-15 minutes total.
  • Serve quail with hot white rice, lettuce, tomato and cucumber. Drizzle salad and rice with sauce to taste.
Keyword Quail
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