5 ways to cook Bird's Nest

5 ways to cook Bird's Nest

One of the ingredients in Bird’s Nest soup is nests that are actually made out of Bird’s Nest, which has dried and hardened.

1. Hawaiian Papaya with Bird’s Nest

Ingredients:
•8 grams (a piece) of dry Benevolence Nest Bird’s Nest.
•20 grams of rock sugar.
•1 cup of water.
•1 ripe Hawaiian papaya.
•1 slice of fresh lime.
Method:
•Pre-soak dry Bird’s Nest. See pre-soaking instructions.
•Drain the water using a strainer.
•Prepare rock sugar syrup. Put some rock sugar in a cooking pot and add 1 cup of hot water. Stir from time to time while simmering until the rock sugar melts completely. Generally, we recommend using 20 grams of rock sugar for every cup (250 ml) of water.
•Place the Bird’s Nest in the bowl, then add rock sugar syrup.
•Steam for 30 minutes, then remove the water using a strainer.
•Slice Hawaiian papaya in half.
•Add lime juice to the papaya to taste.
•Put Benevolence Bird’s Nest (pre-soaked and stewed) with rock sugar on top of the papaya.
•Serve cold.

2. Benevolence Bird’s Nest with Braised Ham

Ingredients:
•4 grams (half a piece) of dry Benevolence Bird’s Nest.
•200ml Chinese ham stock (or chicken stock).
•3 Little bok choy.
•Salt.
•Light soy sauce.
•Cornstarch.
Method:
•Pre-soak dry Bird’s Nest. See pre-soaking instructions.
•Remove from water and steam for 30 minutes.
•Transfer into a soup bowl, arrange bok choy on top and pour over the stock.
•Season with some salt and light soy sauce, thicken with cornstarch mixture.
•Serve hot.

3. Bird’s Nest in Braised Chicken with Ginseng

Ingredients:
•8 grams (a piece) of dry Benevolence Nest Bird’s Nest.
•Chicken breast.
•Chicken bones for soup stock.
•2 sprigs of green onion.
•2 slices of fresh ginger root.
•2-4 slices of Red Korean Ginseng.
Method:
•Pre-soak dry Bird’s Nest. See pre-soaking instructions.
•Drain the water using a strainer.
•Place chicken bones, the breast and ginseng in 6 cups of water. Add the green onions. Bring to boil and then simmer for 45 minutes. Discard the bones and the green onion. Salt to taste.
•Add Benevolence Bird’s Nest (pre-soaked and stewed) in the bowl.
•Serve hot.

4. Bird’s Nest Egg Tart

Ingredients:
•4 grams (half a piece) of dry Benevolence Nest Bird’s Nest.
•240 grams of flour.
•1/4 tea spoon of baking powder.
•120 grams of butter.
•2-3 table spoon of cold water.
For the Filling:
•1 1/2 measuring cups of water.
•6 eggs.
•1/4 measuring cup of evaporated milk.
Seasoning:
•1/8 tsp salt.
•150g sugar.
•1/2 tsp vanilla essence (extract).
Method:
•Pre-soak and stew the dry Bird’s Nest. See instructions.
•Short crust pastry: Sift flour, salt and baking powder together. Add in butter and 2-3 tbsp cold water; rub into dough.
•Fillings: Pour water and sugar into saucepan; boil over low heat until sugar melts. Whisk eggs; pour in bowl which contains evaporated milk and vanilla essence. Slowly pour the water with sugar into whisked egg mixture; stir well and filter out residues. Let cool.
•Roll dough into thin sheet with rolling pin. Cut tart crusts out from dough with round cookie-shaped cutter; press well into tart molds. Pour some Bird’s Nest into each tart.
•Pour egg mixture in to fill around 70% to 80% of the tarts. Bake at 200 degree Celsius for 7 minutes.
•Serve.

5. Bird’s Nest with Rock Sugar

Ingredients:
•8 grams (a piece) of dry Benevolence Nest Bird’s Nest.
•40 grams of rock sugar.
•2 cups of water.
Method:
•Pre-soak dry Bird’s Nest. See pre-soaking instructions.
•Drain the water using a strainer.
•Prepare rock sugar syrup. Put some rock sugar in a cooking pot and add 2 cups of hot water. Stir from time to time while simmering until the rock sugar melts completely. Generally, we recommend using 20 grams of rock sugar for every cup (250 ml) of water.
•Place the Bird’s Nest in the bowl, then add rock sugar syrup.
•Steam for 30 minutes.
•Serve hot or cold.