Edible Bird's Nest
Bird's nest is a precious delicacy having been indulged for over 500 years. Traditionally, bird’s nest is believed to provide a long list of beneficial effects on health and beauty to everyone from children to elderly including pregnant mom-to-be, apart from being enjoyed for its mild taste and jelly-like texture. Today, its benefits are no long a myth, as clinical studies have emerged to support the usefulness of edible bird's nests.
Guides on Preparation, Cooking, Serving, Storage
A) Preparation:
1) Soak bird's nests in room temperature water for 3 to 4 hours.
2) Thereafter, use hands to loosen up the nests and clean remnant of feathers, if any, and repeat for 1 to 2 times.
3) 1 person requires 3g of cleaned bird's nest for each serving, to be cooked in 1 rice bowl of room temperature water.
Note: 1 piece of cleaned bird's nest weighs approximately 6 to 7g.
B) Cooking Methods:
1) Can be cooked as dessert or soup:
a) Dessert: May add rock sugar, red dates, ginseng, white fungus, coconut water or milk.
b) Soup: May cook using soup of your choice.
2) Can be cooked using conventional or electrical stew pot:
a) Conventional stew pot:
i) Put the nests into the stew pot together with room temperature water.
ii) Place the stew pot into a bigger pot half filled with water and cover with lid. Start with high temperature to boil the water in the bigger pot until reaching boiling temperature, thereafter switch to lower temperature and stew for around 25 minutes.
iii) May use thick ceramic cup with lid in place of stew pot.
b) Electrical stew pot:
i) Put the nests into the stew pot together with room temperature water and stew for around 35 minutes.
3) What and when to add to get your desired taste:
a) rock sugar: to add in when the nests are almost cooked
b) red dates: to add in red dates without seed right from the start
c) ginseng: to put in the sliced pieces right from the start
d) white fungus: to put in cleaned fungus from the start and to add rock sugar when the nests are almost cooked
e) coconut water or milk: use in place of room temperature water
C) Serving:
1) 1 serving of 3g a day
2) When would be the best time to take?
a) Best taken either before bed time or early in the morning
b) Enjoy the precious cooked nests while hot or chilled
D) Storage
1) Store in a cool and dry place.
2) Put the nests in freezer if intend to keep for a longer period of time.