Bird Nest Soup: The Rock Sugar Recipe

Filed under Bird Nest Products, Bird Nest Recipe

bird nest soup

Here’s a recipe guide from AsiaOnlineRecipes.com on how to prepare raw bird nest with crushed rock sugar:

Ingredients :

2 ounces of Bird’s nest
6 tablespoons of Crushed rock sugar
2 cups of Water

Method :

1. Prepare the bird’s nest by soaking it in cold water for several hours or overnight.
2. Rinse well.
3. Go over the nests and pick out any loose feathers or dirt.
4. Bring a pot of water to boil and simmer the bird’s nests for about 5 minutes.
5. Again rinse well and squeeze dry.
6. Place the bird’s nest in the pot and add 2 cups of water.
7. Bring to a boil and simmer until the bird’s nest are quite soft.
8. Add the rock sugar, stirring to dissolve.
9. Serve the soup hot.

Note :

This nest of a tiny bird that lives in cliffs mostly off the coast of southern China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, and Borneo is considered a major tonic food. It is light gray regurgitated Gelidium seaweed mixed with swallow saliva and needs extensive attention to pick out extraneous items before washing, soaking, cooking, and serving. This hand labor and the fact that it is difficult and dangerous to gather nests makes them very expensive. Bird’s Nest is said to nourish kidneys, lungs, heart and stomach, and to regulate circulation. As they are made with saliva, one of what the Chinese consider to be three precious substances. Bird’s nest, high in protein and with reasonable amounts of calcium, iron, and riboflavin, is deficient in three essential amino acids: lysine, methionine and tryptophan.