Deep fried squab pigeon:

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Ingredients:
2 big squab (450 g each)
8 cups water
100 g sugar
2 spring onion stalks
1 small piece ginger
1 cinnamon stick
6 bay leaves
1 piece tangerine peel (or orange or mandarine)
10 whole cloves
2 pieces star anise
2 pieces brown cardamom
¾ cup soy sauce
2 tbsp maltose sugar (also known as malt sugar; buy from Asian grocers)
1 tbsp white vinegar (or red will do)
3 tbsp water
peanut oil for deep-frying

Method:
Mix stock ingredients, except soy sauce, bring to boil and simmer for one hour. Add soy sauce.
Clean squabs. Bring stock to a boil, place squabs in stock and simmer for 25 minutes. Drain squabs.
Mix together sweet mix ingredients, heat until sugar dissolves, then cool.
Spread sweet mix on squabs. Leave to cool overnight in fridge.
Deep-fry squab in hot peanut oil, turning if necessary to make sure the breast and back are golden.
Drain, chop and serve with salt, white pepper and Sichuan pepper.


Braised Iranian style pigeon with rhubarb:

Ingredients
4 x 500g squab pigeon, legs removed, cut into four pieces
10 stems rhubarb, cut into 2.5cm pieces
2 red onions, diced
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tbsp turmeric powder
2 tbsp whole black peppercorns, ground
salt, to taste
90ml tomato and spice jam
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp parsley, picked and chopped
2 tbsp mint, picked and chopped
6 sticks cinnamon, roasted lightly
large pinch saffron, soaked in a little warm water
250ml oz lime juice
chicken stock
olive oil
6 fresh dates, sliced
100g chickpeas, soaked for 1 hour then cooked until just soft

Method
1. In a large pot, brown the onions and garlic in some olive oil with the squabs, then add the salt, pepper and turmeric and fry for 1 minute.
2. Add the tomato and spice jam, honey, herbs, cinnamon and saffron. Add the lime juice and enough chicken stock to cover all the ingredients, then simmer for about 2 hours.
3. Add the rhubarb and simmer a further 5 minutes.
4. To finish, add the dates and chickpeas and serve with rice.


Note: Tomato and spice jam is sweet and savory jam often used in Middle Eastern cooking. It combines tomatoes with cinnamon, honey, onion, garlic and ginger.