Middle Eastern Quails with Pomegranate Rice Salad

One of my favourite cuisines is the Middle Eastern cuisine. It is fresh and has the most pungent flavours through the array of spices and herbs used. Maybe it’s because I love nuts, and spices that I fell in love with this cuisine, but whatever it was, gosh I am thankful for it. My parents were showing me pictures of their trip to Istanbul, and amongst the many touristic pictures, there were pictures of their outrageously exceptional meals. The one that caught my eye, however, were the quails with a pomegranate rice salad. See this is what I love about travelling and eating out; you become inspired by the food that soon you find yourself cooking replicates of the food you have seen or eaten in your own kitchen. Priceless! 

Now although these quails have, Dijon mustard, honey and freshly squeezed orange juice, they’re not sticky at all, instead these ingredients help to moisten the quails and ensure that when they’re cooked, they remain tender and succulent. The spices are gorgeous and you can’t help but feel invigorated by the little tingle of spice that comes with each mouthful. But, my favourite part of this dish is the pomegranate rice salad. I once heard pomegranate seeds described as little red rubies that glitter and glow amongst the many other jewels on a plate. Probably the most gorgeous description I have ever heard and definitely the most fitting. So, back to the salad as a whole, well I have nothing really more to say, than…Stunning! You have to try it for yourself in order to truly appreciate, the balance of flavours and textures, but be comforted to know that if you like Middle Eastern food, you will LOVE it!

For the Quails

8 Quails

½ teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon Piri Piri

½ teaspoon oregano

¼ teaspoon fennel seeds

¼ teaspoon cumin

2 Oranges, freshly squeezed

1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard

1 tablespoon honey

4 cloves of garlic crushed

½ cup of extra-virgin olive oil

Salt, and pepper to taste

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. In a medium sized mixing bowl gently whisk all the ingredients (except for the quails). Place quails in a baking tray and pour the marinade over the quails. Place foil or a life over the baking tray and cook for 1½ hours. Remove foil or lid and bake for 15 minutes on each side or just until golden brown (on both sides).

NOTE: Cooking time might seem like a long time for quails because they hardly have any meat on them, but they turn out succulent, moist and divine!

Also, I cooked some potatoes with the quails because the juice gives them an awesome flavour. I definitely suggest it!

For the Pomegranate Rice Salad

2 cups Basmati Rice

4 cups of chicken stock

¼ teaspoon paprika

¼ cup of roasted pine nuts

¼ cup of currants

¼ cup of extra-virgin olive oil

Half of a large pomegranate (de-seeded)

½ cup chopped parsley

Boil the rice in the chicken stock, over low heat in a medium saucepan covered with a lid. Cook until all the stock has been absorbed and stir frequently to avoid the rice sticking to the bottom of the saucepan. Allow rice to cool for 1 hour. Place rice in a large serving bowl and add remaining ingredient. Lightly fold in the ingredients with gentle hands. Be sure to taste at this point to ensure that there is enough salt.