Basic Chinese Chicken Soup Stock (Soup Base)

Ingredient Name:  Bird’s Nest

Traditional Chinese Name: yan wo (燕窝)

• Bird’s nest are literally the nests created by swiftlets, a small bird found throughout southeast asia
• Swiftlet nests are composed of interwoven strands of the bird’s gummy saliva which harden when exposed to air
• The bird’s nest are one of the most expensive animal products consumed by humans in the world
• When cooked in water, the bird’s nest provide soups with a smooth, gelatinous quality
• The flavour is very neutral with almost no taste and bird’s nest is commonly used in sweet soups or simply double-boiled with rock sugar as a dessert.

How do I prepare it?

• Soak the bird’s nest for several hours or overnight in cool or room temperature water
• For optimum results, we highly recommend double-boiling bird’s nest (instead of straight boiling)

Where can I buy this?

You can purchase from most Chinese herb shops and some Asian supermarkets

What is the cost?

•  Bird’s nest vary greatly when it comes to cost depending on the type and grade you buy (broken or whole, clean, bloody or not cleaned, etc…). 
• As an example, for the whole, cleaned bird’s nest (picture above), expect each piece to cost at least $10 CAD each. 

Any benefits?

• Bird’s nest are rich in protein, calcium, iron and other nutrients
• According to traditional chinese medicine, bird’s nest nourishes the yin, strengthens kidneys, alleviates yang, advances the spleen and moistens lungs, among others
• In Asia, many pregnant women will consume large amounts of bird’s nest in hopes of giving their child-to-be smooth, white skin.
• It is also considered to be an aphrodisiac

Any precautions?

• If you have purchased unclean bird’s nest, be sure to clean thoroughly
• Some doctors (my own included) will recommend pregnant women to eat bird’s nest sparingly
• Consuming too much bird’s nest can adversely affect your bank account balance

Resources

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bird’s_nest_soup