Birds Nest Soup

A bowl of Birds Nest soup (冰糖燕窝) is a prized (or should I say pricey) Chinese delicacy. Birds Nests (swallow’s salivia nests) are expensive due to the difficulty in harvesting. Its drink is said to do wonders for skin, throat and lungs, as well as boosting overall health and well-being.

Introduction:

Lots of Asian celebrities consume this daily to look beautiful! When cooked, the Birds Nest takes on a gelatin texture, making it a lovely tong shui (“sweet soup”; Chinese dessert). Whenever my mum makes Birds Nest’s soup in the past, she stew it the simplest way possible (as with all my mum’s recipes) – just Birds Nest, water and rock sugar. When I cooked mine, I added a few ginseng slices though it is purely optional. Check out my mum’s tips below for making a homely bowl of double-boiled Birds Nest soup.

Birds Nest Soup

Mum’s Tips for Home-Stewed Birds Nest Soup

1. Rather than weighing the Birds Nest, we go by pieces per person. For two persons, my mum used 2 small pieces or 1 large piece. This equates to about 5-8 grams per person. We use 1 rice bowl of water per person.
2. Although red dates are a common addition in Birds Nest soup, my family omitted them. According to my mother, the cheap red dates will act like a sponge which absorb the goodness of the Birds Nest soup (though it’s not so bad if you eat the red dates).
3. My family prefer to enjoy Birds Nest in the purest way – just Birds Nest, water and rock sugar. If I cook it, I sometimes add American ginseng slices. If you find ginseng bitter or intend to consume at night (it improves alertness/提神), omit it.
4. Don’t fuss over prepping the Birds Nest, because the ones sold nowadays are usually very clean. We simply soak the Birds Nest pieces in cold water for about 1/2 to 1 hr until softened, but not so long that the Birds Nest disintegrates into small bits. If there are any impurities such as debris and feathers, pluck them out using kitchen tweezer, drain and they are ready for cooking.
5. Just as we do not soak Birds Nest for too long, we also avoid stewing them for too long. The older folks especially dislike it when the stewed Birds Nest soup do not have solid chunks after cooking. We usually stew them for half to 1 hour in a double-boiler.
6. For best results, double-boil instead of using direct flame. We use a slow cooker as the double-boiler.
7. It is said that Birds Nest soup is best consumed at room temperature, or chilled, on an empty stomach (such as just before bed). For maximum absorption, do not eat “heaty” snacks or medication a few hours before and after drinking Birds Nest soup.

Healing Powers of Birds Nest Soup Remain Mysterious

At as much as $4,500 per pound, edible Birds Nests are among the most expensive foods on the planet.

Made from the saliva of cave-dwelling birds called swiftlets, the nests are dangerous to harvest, laborious to prepare and have, according to traditional Chinese medicine, a long list of health benefits.
Traditionally consumed in soup, edible Birds Nests are now being turned into food and drink additives as well as put into cosmetics, say two Chinese researchers who have assessed just what is known about the nutritional and medicinal properties of this expensive, and to Westerners, strange-sounding health food.
Science cannot yet explain the healing powers attributed to the soup, they conclude. Birds Nests "bioactivities and medicinal value are still open to question as there (is) not much scientific research on the medicinal properties," Fucui Ma and Daicheng Liu of Shandong Normal University in China write in a review article to be published in the October issue of the journal Food Research International. .
Swiftlets live in limestone caves around the Indian Ocean, in South and South East Asia, North Australia and the Pacific Islands. Males primarily build the nests, attaching them to the vertical walls of the caves. Removing them can be dangerous and painstaking work, and, depending on the type of nest, it can take one person eight hours to clean 10 nests, the researchers write. [Amazing Caves: Photos of Earth's Innards]
For possibly 1,200 years, the Chinese have prepared and eaten the nests as a soup. The nests are considered to have a high nutritional and medicinal value, believed to have everything from anti-aging and anti-cancer properties to the ability to improve concentration and raise libido.
Protein is the most abundant constituent of the nests, which contain all of the essential amino acids, the building blocks out of which proteins are made. They also contain six hormones, including testosterone and estradiol, the researchers write.
The nests also contain carbohydrates, ash and a small quantity of lipids (naturally occurring molecules that include fats). Previous research has indicated that the nests contain substances that can stimulate cell division and growth, enhance tissue growth and regeneration, and that it can inhibit influenza infections.
But not everyone reacts well to them. Birds Nests are known to cause anaphylaxis, a life-threatening allergic reaction.
Little research has been carried out on their biological function so far, and more is needed to better understand the qualities attributed to them, they conclude.

Classification by Country of Origin

Edible Birds Nest only originate from South East Asia.
1) Indonesia – Texture is smoother, softer and cleaner with fewer impurities as the majority of the nests are harvested from Indonesia’s house nests. Indonesia produces approximately 80% of the world’s supply. Prices are generally lower.
2) Thailand – These birds nests are thicker and firmer with higher density thus it requires more soaking and cooking time. As the majority of the nests are cultivated from the caves with a small production volume, the prices are generally higher.
3) Malaysia – With higher production of feather prime nests Birds Nest, Birds Nest from Malaysia are usually processed into cakes and prices are low.
4) Vietnam – These Birds Nest are higher quality and richer taste and aroma due to an ideal environment conditions for Birds Nest in Vietnam. Birds Nest here are limited in supply and prices are higher.

Classification by Shape and Size

Being a natural food product, edible Birds Nest come in many different shapes and sizes:
1) Cup – Whole nest that ranges from large to extra large size (top grade).
2) Triangle – Triangular shaped Birds Nest that are medium in size.
3) Strips – Broken pieces from whole Birds Nest,
4) Cakes – Tiny Birds Nest pieces that are shaped into the shape and size of a biscuit.

Classification by Terrain

Edible Birds Nests are harvested from only two types of terrain shown below:
1) House Nest – Swifts build their nests inside a house located near to the sea where the environment is ideal and more controlled; therefore leading to fewer impurities and feathers in the Birds Nest.
2) Cave Nest – Swifts build their nests on mountain and rock caves and cliffs near the sea. The natural climate and environment affects the texture which tends to be stiffer and harder. But generally cave nests contain more foreign materials and feathers than house nests.

Classification by pre-cleaning quality

Type of edible Birds Nest prior to cleaning processing.
1) Premium (Aerodramus Fuciphagus) nests – Consist of 95% saliva and 5% feathers
2) Feather prime nests – Consist of 50% saliva and 50% feathers
3) Grass nests – Consist of 5% saliva with grass and twigs