Kada Mutta - Quail Eggs Pepper Fry

Today's recipe is a spicy and healthy quail egg fry with the spicy kick of black pepper. This recipe is all about keeping it simple- quick and easy to make and very appetizing. You can serve this as an appetizer, or serve with rice or laced pancake/appam. Gently fried quail eggs with sweet caramelized onions, fennel, curry leaves, and coconut oil add lots of flavors and it is finger-licking delicious. Quail eggs are my kid's new snacking favorite and are fun to eat.

These dainty, pretty eggs are cute as well as nutritious. It is considered a delicacy in Kerala. There is a popular saying “Aayiram kozhikku ara kaada” or half quail is equivalent to thousand chickens. Now we don't need to take it in a literal sense but it just means that quail and quail eggs have lots of health benefits. Yes it is more nutritious than your regular eggs! No wonder it is making quite a stir in the health world. If you are looking for healthy options to add to your diet, you should try quail eggs. It is an energy booster and improves metabolism. These tiny bird eggs are approximately 9-10 grams each. So you can have around 2-3 per serving. Look for quail eggs in your local grocery stores or Asian markets.

There are several recipes with kada/ quail and quail eggs. I have already posted Kerala style quail fry and quail roast but when it comes to eggs it is mostly boiled quail eggs sprinkled with salt and pepper. It is delicious on its own. Back home mom used to make kada mutta roast and sometimes pickled quail eggs. This recipe is a simple version of mom's kada mutta roast, but you can add few extra ingredients like tomatoes, bell pepper, cubed potatoes or spinach to make it more wholesome and filling. Give this recipe a try, you will surely love it.

Cooking quail eggs or Kada mutta
You can boil and cook just like the regular eggs, but it cooks faster. Place eggs in a saucepan and fill with water one inch above the eggs. Bring this water to a rolling boil and switch off the heat. Cover and let it sit for five minutes. Drain off the hot water and add cold water. Gently peel off the shell. You can refrigerate cooked eggs for 3-4 days in the refrigerator and snack on it, make egg salad or use as a cute topping for vegetable salads, stir-fried rice or pulao.

Kada mutta- Quail Eggs Pepper Fry

Cooking time- 10 minutes
Recipe type- side dish
Cuisine- Kerala/ India

Ingredients
Quail Eggs- 12
Onions-2 medium
Green chilly slit- 2
Ginger sliced- 1 tsp
Curry leaves
Fennel seeds- 3/4 tsp
Chilly powder-1/2 tsp
Pepper powder- 1 tsp
Turmeric powder- 1/3 tsp
Coconut oil- 1 tbs
salt to taste
Chopped coriander leaves- 1 tbs

Boil quail eggs and set aside.
Chop onions into thin slices and cut ginger into thin strips.
Peel eggs and sprinkle salt and turmeric powder. Coat well. Heat one tablespoon of oil in a pan and gently fry the eggs till slightly golden. Remove from the oil and set aside.
In the same pan saute onions, ginger, green chilies, and curry leaves. Add salt and saute till it evenly fried and golden brown. Mix pepper powder, chili powder, and fennel seeds and saute till oil separates. Add fried eggs and toss well. Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves and switch off the flame. Serve with lemon wedges. You can serve this as an appetizer, with steamed rice, chapathi or appam/laced pancake.