Last Updated on September 14, 2020 by Simon Fan
Quail eggs prove that good things come in small packages.
About one-fifth of the size of chicken eggs, quail eggs look adorable with their little speckled shells. When you crack one open, you’ll notice that while it looks like a miniature chicken egg, it has a prominent yolk due to its higher yolk-to-white ratio.
In Chinese cuisine, quail eggs are considered a gourmet food because their dainty shape adds a sense of luxury and elegance. For that reason, they’re always used whole in a dish. Making scrambled eggs with them would be a total waste of their beauty.
You can use quail eggs instead of chicken eggs in several iconic dishes to achieve a more delicate or unique presentation. Imagine how great your dish would look like if you use quail eggs to make Chinese tea-marbled eggs, Southern pickled eggs, French Nicoise salad, or Scotch eggs?
They certainly look amazing in the stuffed mushroom dish I’m sharing with you here. In China, you would typically make this dish with fresh shiitake mushrooms. However, the ones available in the grocery stores in the US tend to have open caps instead of closed caps that are needed to hold the eggs. For that reason, I use cremini mushrooms instead. Often labeled as baby bella, cremini mushrooms are young portobello mushrooms, and their small size and closed caps are perfect for this recipe.
You can use the steaming method for this dish, as it’s typically done in China. However, I find roasting achieves more exciting results, as the roasting process concentrates the flavor of the mushrooms, firms up their texture, and cooks the quail eggs more gently.
I like to finish the dish with minced douchi (豆豉, fermented black beans), garlic, and scallions fried in oil. They add aroma, umami, saltiness, and texture to the dish. Feel free to create your own finishing touch. For example, some grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, chopped parsley, and drops of olive oil will result in a totally different but equally fantastic dish.
Quail egg stuffed mushrooms with douchi and garlic
Serves 2
Ingredients
10 cremini mushrooms, preferably around 2 inches (5 cm) in diameter (fresh shiitake mushrooms would also be great if you can find the ones with closed caps)
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
10 quail eggs
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons douchi (fermented black beans), minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 scallions, thinly sliced
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Skip this step if you use the steaming method.
- Wipe the mushrooms clean and carefully remove the stems without breaking the caps. Save the stems for making soups or stocks.
- Place the mushroom caps, gills side up, on a greased baking sheet. Lightly season them with salt and pepper. Crack a quail egg and gently slip it into a mushroom cap. Repeat with the remaining eggs and mushrooms. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and roast for about 15 minutes, or until the eggs are cooked to your desired doneness. If using the steaming method, placed the stuffed mushrooms on a heatproof plate that fits into a steamer, or two plates into a two-layer steamer. Steam for about 8 minutes, depending on your desired doneness.
- Place a wok or skillet over medium heat until hot, then swirl in the oil. When the oil starts to shimmer, add the douchi, garlic, and scallions, and stir-fry for 1 minute. Remove the wok from the heat, and spoon the mixture and oil over the stuffed mushrooms. Serve right away.
