Edible Birds Nest Recipes

Each piece of Edible Birds Nest is good for 1~2 bowls of Edible Birds Nest depending on personal preference of thickness of soup.

Soaking the Edible Birds Nest

1.Take the number of pieces of Edible Birds Nest needed and place the Edible Birds Nest in a bowl of water.
2. Ensure that the bowl is big enough for the Edible Birds Nest to expand about 7 times bigger,
3. Use water that has been freshly boiled and cooled down.
(This is to get rid of any chlorine or germs that may have been present in the water.)
3. Leave the Edible Birds Nest to soak in the water for 2~4 hours.

Edible Birds Nest Recipes

Cooking time!

1. Prepare a Double-Boiler
2. Fill the external pot with water that reaches to less than half the height of the internal pot
3. After the Edible Birds Nest has been soaked, drain away the water and place the Edible Birds Nest in the internal pot
4. Add 1~2 bowls of 250 ml water to the internal pot.
5. 1 bowl of water will make 1 bowl of thick Edible Birds Nest assuming only 1 piece of Edible Birds Nest is used.
(2 pieces will make 2 bowls of Edible Birds Nest)
6. Add other accompanying ingredients (see below) and cover the internal pot and the external pot.
7. Put a strong fire under the pots.
8. Once the water is boiling in the external pot, switch to a low flame
9. Continue cooking the Edible Birds Nest for 2~3 hours.
10. Remove any pandan leaves (if applicable) and pour the Edible Birds Nest into a bowl serve hot or cold.
Raw Edible Birds Nest is mainly made up of nutritious protein and therefore contains a certain 'egg-like' smell.
Purists have been known to consume Edible Birds Nest without any other ingredients for maximum absorption and quality.
Here, we do recommend several alternatives that can be added to your Edible Birds Nest to make it more delectable.

Rock Sugar.

Often consumed as a dessert delicacy, Edible Birds Nest is widely-expected to taste sweet. Rock sugar is an essential ingredient in cooking Edible Birds Nest. Use suitable amount of rock sugar according to personal preference.

Pandan

Pandan leaves have a wonderful fragrance and are often used in asia to magnify the aroma of dishes. Pandan leaves can be cooked together with the Edible Birds Nest in the internal pot for a heavenly scent!

Red dates

Red Dates help the body to produce more red blood cells and boosts immunity. it is also very good for the throat.

Dried Longans

Dried Longans help to produce a 'calming' sensation to the Edible Birds Nest and has therapeutic properties.

Ginger

Ginger is a catalyst, helping the antioxidants in the Edible Birds Nest to be better absorbed by the body. It is alkaline and helps the body to digest food, aiding blood circulation and is a wonderful natural remedy for colds.

Egg White.

Adding some egg white helps to enhance the favours of the Edible Birds Nest. Goes very well with ginger with Edible Birds Nest as well. Highly recommended.

The Dangers Of Bleached Edible Birds Nests

Whilst pure Edible Birds Nests are rich in nutrients with health promoting properties for the human body, its high market value means that there is a type of “black market” of the same product but a much lower quality version. Improper cleaning reduces the nutrient content and poses a real threat to consumers.

As Edible Birds Nests are a natural product it is only to be expected that there will be certain impurities, i.e., feathers, vegetation, sand etc which require a careful cleaning process to ensure that these imperfections are not transmitted to the consumer. However, to reduce costs, many manufacturers do not carry out an ethical cleaning process to the desired standard.
The traditional method requires removing the feathers using a floatation technique that involves vegetable oils. At the same time, use of bleaching agents was also adopted and as mentioned previously, this stripped the nests of their nutritive qualities so an alternative formula that involves dissolution of the nest, filtration and freeze drying was researched to replace the traditional method. This new procedure is more cost effective so the aim is to pass the saved expense to the consumer, leveling out the market’s playing field.

But what happens if corners are cut and instead of following procedure, they simply bleach the Edible Birds Nests? How can you differentiate between a pure Edible Birds Nest and the fake kind? And what is the government currently doing to prevent the widespread market of contaminated products?

Contaminants and Government Policy

At this time there are many conflicting regulations and guidelines with regards Edible Birds Nest production and this has provoked a situation in which a mind blowing 90% of these traders do not operate with a valid license or comply with the approved cleaning process.
Those who insist on chemical bleached Edible Birds Nests run the risk of introducing highly toxic substances that can cause cancer. The most used chemicals used are H202, S02 and S03.
Not only do consumers have to be concerned about bleached Edible Birds Nests, but of those deceitful traders who would scam people into purchasing artificially dyed red Edible Birds Nests as many consider them to be of a higher value but in actual fact, studies show that these contain more natural contaminants than the white counterpart. The red nests are normally constructed in caves upon which the iron and other materials in the environment are absorbed

Real vs. Fake

a) The nests shouldn’t be totally white or reflective in any way.
b) Natural nests vary in size and weight whereas manufactured nests are uniform.
c) Smell the nest to see if you can detect the scent of eggs. If there is no smell, the nest hasn’t been treated or only in a small dose. If you note an unpleasant smell then the nest has more than likely been chemical bleached.
d) As they are built with saliva, these strands will separate from each other when soaked in water and will be of a different length.
Preserve the industry; do NOT accept bleached Edible Birds Nests.