Kwek Kwek - Fried Orange Quail Eggs (courtesy of Adam Jane)

Method

1. 1. Place quail eggs in a pot and fill with tap water enough to submerge them completely. Bring water to a rolling boil over high heat. Once it boils, turn off heat and cover the pot and let it sit for 10 minutes.
2. 2. Remove the quail eggs from the hot water and transfer into an ice bath or cold water. Peel off the eggshells once cool enough to handle.
3. 3. In a bowl, combine 1 cup flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, ground pepper and water and mix to form a batter. Consistency is almost similar to that of a pancake batter only a bit thicker. Add enough food colour and mix until the desired colour is achieved.
4. 4. Spread ¼ cup of flour on a plate. Dredge each egg with flour covering the surface completely.
5. 5. Drop the floured quail eggs, one at a time into the orange batter and using a fork or a barbecue stick, turn them over to cover them completely with batter. Do this in batches, about 5-6 eggs per batch.
6. 6. In a small pot, heat enough oil over medium-high heat. Once hot, use a stick or a skewer to pierce a coated egg and transfer it to the hot oil and a fork to remove the egg off the skewer and into the hot oil. Fry a batch at a time about 1-2 minutes each side or until crispy.
7. 7. Remove the eggs from the hot oil and transfer into a plate lined with paper towel to remove excess oil.
8. 8. Serve while hot and skin still crispy with vinegar dip or special Kwek Kwek sauce.
9. Variations:
10. You can use any optional: Vinegar Dip: ½ cup vinegar, (¼ cup water -optional), 1 small red onion-chopped finely, 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon ground pepper, (1 hot chili, chopped-optional).
11. Add food colour in liquid to combine red and yellow. You can also use annatto powder to colour the batter.