Bird's nest is a superior health food in many ways.  The proteins found in bird's nest, being easily digestible, can be used for convalescing (recovering from serious illness) patients.  It is also widely consumed during pre and post-natal periods.  For beauty care, it has been used to reduce or eliminate liver spots in the elderly, improve complexion and manage skin irritations in babies and adults.


Basic Preparation

Bird's nest need to be soaked for 3-4 hours prior to cooking. The raw nest will weigh 5-6 times more after soaking. Cut and shred any knots to smaller pieces if you'd like. It is recommended to cook them within a week after soaking. Cooking in low heat for 30 minutes is preferable for white bird's nest, up to 1 hour or longer for yellow and red bird's nest. Do not cook in HIGH heat for more than 30 minutes, this will destroy the nutrients. 



Health Benefits of Bird’s Nests

The medicinal use of edible bird's nest can be traced back to the 17th century but maybe even earlier.  In Hong Kong and in Chinese diaspora locations throughout the world, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is often used to treat diseases and enhance health. It is believed that TCM herbs have wide-ranging effects for enhancing health, lowering risk of diseases and promoting life span. Being one of the TCMs, edible bird's nest is believed to have health enhancing effects such as anti-aging, growth promoting and immuno-enhancing properties.  However, unlike other traditional medicine materials edible bird's nest is different from most of the TCMs. It is unique in that it is not only a medicine to make people healthy but also a pleasant food to be consumed and enjoyed. Traditionally, it is double boiled with rock sugar to make a delicacy known as "bird's nest soup".  The gelatin drink that is served in small glass bottles also is processed with rock sugar and has a slightly sweet taste