Fried quails are one of Vietnam’s many street food cheap eats. Munching on these from street food vendors is what I love about Vietnam.
I’m replicating one of my favorite street food snacks using an air fryer.
I’m really loving my air fryer! It’s small so I can cook small batches of food without having to dirty up a large convection oven, which uses the same technology but on a larger scale. But my favorite is that it contains the mess. Imagine hot oil splatters all over the kitchen and your clothes with traditional frying.
Now let me be clear. Air frying doesn’t replace frying in oil. You just don’t get that ultra crunchy texture. But if you don’t like to deal with the mess and the oil, then this air fryer recipe is for you.
If you don’t have an air fryer, check out my regular fried quail recipe.
These delicious quails are marinated in a simple mixture of oyster sauce, sugar, Chinese five-spice, cooking wine, garlic powder, and onion powder, then air-fried to buttery golden perfection. Serve it with a lime, salt and pepper dipping sauce.
For a more traditional flavor, chase the quail with hot and peppery Vietnamese coriander/mint (rau răm). You can simply have this on its own as an appetizer or with steamed rice for a more complete meal.
Recipe below and a detailed Youtube video tutorial up above. Happy cooking!
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Air Fried Quails with Five Spice & Butter (Chim Cút Nướng Air Fryer | Ngũ Vị Hương Bơ)
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
Description
Enjoy the flavors of Vietnamese street food at home with these crispy air-fried quails, marinated in five-spice and finished with a buttery glaze.
Ingredients
Quails
- 6 whole quails (cut the backbone so quails lay flat; rinse and pat dry)
- 1 heaping tablespoon oyster sauce
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon Chinese Five Spice Powder
- 2 teaspoons Shaoxing cooking wine
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted)
- Lime, pepper, salt dipping sauce
Vegetables (optional)
- Lettuce
- Vietnamese coriander/mint (rau ram)
Equipment Needed
Instructions
- Make the marinade: In a small bowl, combine the oyster sauce, sugar, Chinese five spice, cooking wine, ground black pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Mix well.
- Marinate: Coat the quails with the mixture and marinate for at least one hour or overnight in the fridge for better results.
- Add butter: Right before air frying, coat marinated quails in melted butter.
- Air fry: Prep your air fryer by spraying it with a good layer of cooking oil to prevent sticking. Place the marinated quails into the air fryer basket and air fry for 20-30 minutes at 400°F. Flip half way through.
- Plate (optional): Transfer quails onto a bed of lettuce or Vietnamese coriander/mint with the side of lemon salt and pepper dipping sauce (optional).
- Prep Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25
- Category: appetizer
- Method: Fry
- Cuisine: asian, vietnamese
