“While on holiday in Queensland, my wife and I enjoyed a great meal at Spirit House. We’d love Damien Ryan’s recipe for banana-blossom salad with seared quail and chilli, lime and coconut dressing.”
Tony May, via email
To request a recipe, write to Fare Exchange, , GPO Box 4088, Sydney, NSW 2001, or email us. All requests should include the restaurant’s name and address or business card, as well as your name and address.
Ingredients
Chilli, lime and coconut dressing
Banana-blossom salad
Method
Main
1.Pound chilli and garlic to a coarse paste in a mortar and pestle, stir in remaining ingredients. Place quail in a single layer in a non-reactive container, pour marinade over and refrigerate (1-2 hours), turning to coat occasionally.
2.Meanwhile, for chilli, lime and coconut dressing, pound palm sugar and fish sauce in a mortar and pestle to dissolve sugar. Add lime juice and chilli jam, then slowly whisk in the coconut cream. Adjust seasoning to taste and reserve. Makes about 250ml.
3.Heat a chargrill pan over medium heat, remove quail from marinade and cook in batches, turning often until cooked through (10-12 minutes). Set aside and keep warm.
4.Meanwhile, preheat oven to 180C. Roast peanuts on an oven tray until golden (3-5 minutes). Cool, coarsely chop and transfer to a bowl. Add remaining salad ingredients, drizzle half coconut dressing over, toss to combine. Serve immediately with quail and extra dressing.
Chilli jam is available from selected food stores. For fresh shredded coconut, open coconut and scrape with a citrus zester.
Notes