Salt & pepper quails with Thai herb & bean salad

• quails↗4
• thumb-size piece ginger

  roughly chopped

• coriander4

  sprigs, roughly chopped

• garlic clove↗1

  roughly chopped

• white peppercorns1 tsp tsp
• vegetable oil↗2 tbsp tbsp

  plus extra for frying

• flour↗2 tsp tsp
• large red chilli↗1

  finely shredded

• snake beans↗6

  or a good handful green beans, blanched (cut into lengths if using snake beans) - see tip

• lime leaves tsp

  finely shredded

• small handful each coriander, Thai basil↗

  and flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked

• few mint

  sprigs, leaves picked

• Thai shallots↗2

  or 2 small shallots, sliced

• spring onion↗1

  thinly sliced on an angle

• small red chilli↗1

  shredded

• fish sauce↗2 tbsp
• lime juice↗2 tbsp
• palm sugar↗4 tsp

  or soft light brown sugar

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Put all the rub ingredients in a mortar and use a pestle to grind them together, then rub some inside each quail.

2. 2

   For the paste, again grind 1 tsp sea salt and the pepper together in a mortar using a pestle, then stir in the oil and flour.

3. 3

   Heat a little vegetable oil in a heavybased frying pan and carefully brown the quails all over – in batches if you need. Lift into a roasting tin, rub all over with the salt and pepper paste, then roast in the oven for 10-15 mins until golden and cooked to your liking.

4. 4

   For the salad, pound the dressing ingredients together using a mortar and pestle. Mix all the salad ingredients in a bowl. Just before serving, toss the dressing with the salad and serve alongside the quail and rice.