Stuffed Quail - oil

Method

• Clean and skin the quails. Skinning a whole quail is kind of a tedious process, be very careful not to break the bones, or you can leave the skin on. Sometimes there will be small feathers stuck to the skin, make sure you pluck all those off.
• Mix all the ingredients in the first set to make a paste, and apply liberally on the birds in and out. Marinate for about an hour.
• Heat a large frying pan (which will be used to sear the quail in the next step), toast the pine nuts, remove and keep aside.
• Add a little oil to frying pan, carefully sear the birds one by one or more at a time, depending on the size of the pan. We just want to flash fry the outside, not actually cook the birds completely, so give about 2-3 minutes per bird. Add more oil in between if needed.
• In the same pan, add more oil if needed, and add the shallots, green chilies and raisins and saute till brown. Reduce the heat and add chili powder and pepper powder and saute for about a minute. Add the green onion slices, salt and toasted pine nuts and mix well till the green onions are wilted. Remove from the heat.
• Pre-heat the oven to 375F.
• Stuff the cavities of each quail tightly with the prepared stuffing. Arrange the birds on a greased baking dish, spray some oil on the birds and roast for about 35-45 minutes.
• Serve warm, with some fresh lemon squeezed over and with a side salad.