Simple Bird's Nest Recipes

Cooked bird's nest has no taste and usually cooked with rock sugar for a bowl of sweet bird's nest soup or added to dessert, porridge, soup, vegetable, dumpling stuffing or cooked with fruits and other ingredients such as white fungus, lily bulbs, meat etc.

You may pre-cook the bird's nest and store in the refrigerator for up to 7 days to be added to dessert, porridge, soup, as additional stuff for pork dumpling etc.

Soak the bird's nest in a bowl of water for 45 mins to one hour.

Use a sifter to filter the water and set the bird's nest aside.

Bring to boil a pot of water and place the bird's nest in a stew pot, making sure the stew water must cover the nest.

Place the stew pot in the pot of boiling water and using low heat for 45 mins.

For simple bird's nest soup, add rock sugar at the end of stewing.

Alternatively, you may add 5-6 pieces of American Ginseng or 4-5 pieces of red dates and simmer with the bird's nest.

Important: Always add rock sugar at the end of stewing not begining as it will spoil the taste of the bird's nest soup.

Bird's Nest with Papaya and Sago

Method
Cut papaya into pieces. Put into a blender and process until the mixture is smooth.

Soak sago for 30 minutes. Drain well and put into boiling water. Parboil over low heat until transparent. Dish up in a sieve. Rinse in boiled water and drain well.

Put rock sugar and 2 cups of water to a boil until sugar dissolved. Add swallow nest, sago, fresh milk, papaya and dissolved sugar liquid into the pot.

Bring to a boil and turn the heat to low. Simmer for another 10 minutes. Keep stirring while cooking. Serve either hot or cold.

Bird's Nest with Chicken Porridge

Marinade
* ½ tsp salt
* ¼ tsp granulated sugar
* 1 tsp light soy sauce
* 1 tsp ginger juice
* 1 tsp wine
* ¾ tsp corn starch
* dash of sesame oil
* pinch of white pepper
* ½ tbsp oil

Method
Wash rice. Add dash of oil and salt. Marinade for 1 hour.

Soak dry scallops until they are tender. Tear into shreds.

Steam chicken breast for 20 minutes. Let it cool down. Tear into shreds and add marinade.

Bring water to the boil. Add dried scallops and rice. Bring to the boil again then cook under low heat and the rice becomes congee. Add shredded chicken and swallow nest. Bring to the boil and cook for 5 minutes. Season with pinch of salt. Put shredded spring onion on top. Serve hot.

Bird's Nest Mango Pudding

Method:
Peel and core mangoes, cut into small pieces.

Mix beaten egg and 100ml evaporated milk together. Set aside. Put pudding powder into bowl first and fill in boiled water. Mix it.

Put into 240ml evaporated milk, add mango pieces.
Stir up gelatine with boiled water, and put the mixture into the pudding-water bowl. Add milk and cool-boiled water. Add bird's nest, mango pieces and mix it. Let it sit and cool.

Put the mixture into small moulds. Refrigerate until it set (3-4 hours).

Tap the moulds gently to release the pudding on to serving plates. You may also put some bird's nest on top of each pudding as garnishing.

Lemon Tea Jelly with Bird's Nest

Method:
Add pudding powder into the bowl and stir. Add sugar.

Let it sit and cool. Then add lemon juice and mix it.

Put one tablespoon of cooked bird's nest into the moulds.

Put all mixture in the bowl into the moulds. Refrigerate until it set (3-4 hours).

Tap the moulds gently to release the pudding onto the serving plates.

Good as dessert for children.

Fresh Milk stew with Bird's Nest

Method:
Put all ingredients into a stewing pot and stew for 45mins to one hour.

For sweetness, add some sugar to taste.

Snow Pear stew with Bird's Nest

Method:
Peel snow pears and cut into small pieces.
Put the soaked bird's nest and snow pear pieces into a stewing pot, add water and stew for 3 hours using small fire.

Add rock sugar to taste

Good for hot weather as a cooling dessert.

Papaya stew with Bird's Nest

Method:
Cut the papaya in half and scrap out the seeds.

Place soaked bird's nest onto the papaya.

Place the papaya in a pot and steam for 45 mins using small fire.

For added sweetness, add rock sugar solution onto the cooked bird's nest.

Pregnant mother benefits from eating bird's nest and even after delivery of baby to get back in shape and stay healthy.

For breast-feeding mum who need some tonic soup to increase their milk flow, check out these simple to cook recipes.