Honey soy quail on fried wild rice

Wash quail inside and out under cold running water. Pat dry with paper towel. Use kitchen scissors to cut quails along either side of the backbone. Discard backbones. Cut quails in half. Place in a glass or ceramic dish. Combine honey, soy sauce, ginger, garlic and five spice in a jug. Pour evenly over quail. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 1 hour to develop the flavours.

Preheat oven to 180°C. Transfer quail and marinade to a roasting pan. Roast in preheated oven, occasionally brushing with marinade, for 30 minutes or until juices run clean when a skewer is inserted into the thickest part of the breast.

Meanwhile, to make the fried wild rice, cook rice in a saucepan of salted boiling water for 20 minutes or until tender. Drain well. Heat half the oil in a wok over high heat until just smoking. Add the cashews and stir-fry for 2 minutes or until toasted. Transfer to a plate. Add half the remaining oil and half the egg and cook, tilting the pan until egg covers the base, for 1 minute or until just set. Transfer omelette to a plate. Repeat with remaining egg, reheating wok between omelettes. Roll up omelettes firmly and cut crossways into thin slices. Set aside.

Heat remaining oil in the wok over high heat. Add mushroom and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add rice, cashews, omelette slices, snow peas, shallot and soy sauce, and stir-fry for 2 minutes or until hot. Remove from heat. Stir in coriander.

Spoon fried rice among serving plates. Top with quail and serve immediately.