Bird’s nest – uses, recipe and more!

0
(0)

What is bird’s nest made out of?

Birds nest beauty complexion amino acid protein
Birds nest enhances beauty and complexion

Bird’s nests are made entirely from the edible saliva of the male swiftlet and the nests are highly valued for its nutritional properties, bird’s nests are commonly consumed as a form of beauty food as it is known to boost one’s complexion, immune system and stimulate cell growth.

 

Bird’s nest Nutrients

Nutrients in bird's nest collagen amino acid antioxidants tissue regeneration cell growth relieve stress
Nutrients in bird’s nest

Bird’s nests are treasured for many benefits such as improving the skin condition and relieving stress for a healthy and strong body. It is due to the high glycoprotein content, collagen and amino acid, antioxidants, hormones and various minerals such as calcium, potassium, iron, magnesium,

The amino acid is prized and renowned for its tissue regeneration and cell growth.

 

Birds nest scientific research

Nutrients in bird's nest collagen amino acid antioxidants tissue regeneration cell growth relieve stress
Scientific research behind Bird’s nest

Bird’s nest has been studied for a long time and it is proven that the contents of bird’s nests are proven to improve lung, kidney and stomach health as well as blood circulation. The antioxidants, collagen, amino acid and proteins also stimulate cell and tissue growth and regeneration, all of which have anti-aging effects. The syalic acid and tyrosine present also stimulates the growth of red blood cells and speed up recovery.

Bird’s Nest Boost Immune System

Birds nest boost immunity system healthy
Birds nest boosts your immunity system

Bird’s Nest Soup can be used to stimulate the appetite, improve digestion and stimulate the bowel movement. Regular consumption can improve the lungs and kidneys and overall immune system to prevent cold, flu and increase the body’s resistance to external diseases.

Many mothers and grandmothers would swear by bird nest soups improvement to overall health and immunity to their beloved children and grandchildren. This has been a traditional remedy since ancient days of imperial China, where only the royal family and well-connected can eat bird nest soup.

 

Bird’s Nest’s Benefits for Skin

Nutrients in bird's nest collagen amino acid antioxidants tissue regeneration cell growth relieve stress boost immune system
Bird’s nest for skin and beauty

Bird’s nest has large amounts of epidermal growth factor (EGF) and it is a protein with anti-aging capabilities to stimulate skin growth and collagen production. With the richness of protein, collagen and amino acid, it can help women improve their complexion and maintain their youthful skin.

 

How often should you eat bird nest?

You should include small amounts of white bird’s nest into your diet and consume birds nest regularly. It is advised to eat 1 nest per day for a week to reap the full benefits and nutritional value. Golden and red bird’s nest should be taken in moderation as the mineral content may be too much for the body to process.

 

When to eat Bird’s Nest?

Nutrients in bird's nest collagen amino acid antioxidants tissue regeneration cell growth relieve stress skin beauty youthful skin
Best to eat bird’s nest on an empty stomach

Bird’s nest is best eaten on an empty stomach either in the morning when you wake up or before bedtime. An empty stomach will be able to absorb and use all the nutrients and minerals of the bird’s nest. For the best nutritional value, bird’s nests are best eaten with rock sugar or honey, red dates and either as a soup, warm or chilled.

 

Is bird’s nest vegetarian?

bird's nest collagen amino acid antioxidants tissue regeneration cell growth relieve stress skin beauty youthful skin empty stomach absorb
Bird’s nest vegetarian or not – it depends

It depends on personal belief.

Farms usually harvest the nests only after the swiftlets leave their nests for good so no birds are harmed in the harvesting process and you are not depriving the swiftlets of their home when you eat birds nest.  Saliva can be considered an excretion by the swiftlets when building their nest and therefore, not a product derived from the animal itself. But this is subjective as vegetarians generally do not consume any food product from animals.

But by our standards, bird’s nest is suitable for consumption by vegetarians and it is important for you to only buy from trusted and reliable companies to ensure no harm is done to the birds.

You can read more about the common myths and misconceptions of bird’s nest here.

 

Why is bird’s nest soup so expensive?

Birds nest expensive cost money how much
Birds nest is expensive due to its high nutritional value and lack of supply

Bird’s nest is expensive for its high nutritional value and lack of supply. Premium ingredients used in the stew can also affect the price of the bird’s nest soup. Cave nests are higher in price due to the effort and risk needed in harvesting them but in terms of nutritional value, they are the same as farm nests.

 

What does bird’s nest soup taste like?

The taste of bird’s nest soup is dependent on the broth it is cooked in or the seasonings used. Bird’s nest by itself is tasteless and its commonly eaten for its nutritional properties and jelly-like texture. To enhance the sweetness of the soup, rock sugar is often added.

 

How do you make bird’s nest’s soup?

Image result for Birds Nest benefits for skin
Raw dried bird’s nest before soaking

How do you cook bird’s nest? The most common and simple way woulp by stewing (Double boiling) the bird’s nest with rock sugar for a sweet and nutritious dessert that can be consumed either warm or chilled.

Before you start preparing your nutritious bowl of goodness, you need to be aware of the following:

  1. Soaking and cleaning the nest
  2. Stewing
  3. Length of time
  4. Ingredients and recipe

 

How to soak bird’s nest, for how long?

how Cook bird's nest soup method ingredient stewing time warm chilled soak
Cooking bird’s nest soup

The duration of soaking is dependent on the quality and type of bird’s nest. The usual farm nest would need to be soaked for about 3 to 8 hours while wild cave nests require at least 24 hours of soaking to soften due to the toughness of the nest.

  1. Place the bird’s nest in a bowl of cool and clean water. Ensure the water covers the nest entirely as full contact with the water allows the nest to absorb the water fully.
  2. Water can be changed once or twice during the soaking period.
  3. After 3 – 8 hours, the nest will be soft and expanded in size.
  4. For cave nests, there may have a small amount of feather or debris which you can remove using a pair of tweezers. You can place the bird’s nest on white cloth for you to see the dark feather or debris easily.
  5. Use a strainer or net to remove the excess water.
  6. If there are still impurities, you can rinse the nest a few times, tearing small pieces of the nests to allow the impurities inside to be washed off.

 

Stewing Bird’s Nests soup

double boil stew bird's nest cook soften boil simmer steam
Stewing (double boiling) bird’s nest soup

Bird’s nest should be prepared over indirect heat either by stewing or steaming. The nests are to be placed in a bowl in a pot of hot water where the boiling hot water from the pot steams the bowl of bird’s nest.

15 minutes should be more than enough to soften the bird’s nest after the water starts to boil and left to simmer.

Electronic stewing pots or slow cookers can be used for convenience. Remember to adjust the heat intensity low to keep the bird’s nest warm and you can it to your loved ones once it is ready.

One should avoid microwaving or boiling the nests over direct heat as the nests would disintegrate and the nutrients would be lost.

  1. The water in the stewing bowl must cover the entire bird nest and other ingredients. The water level should not be more than 70% of the stewing bowl’s full height as the water level will rise during cooking.
  2. Boil the pot of water (that is holding the stewing bowl of bird’s nest) and reduce the heat to a simmer.
  3. The active ingredient, “mitogenic stimulation factor”, gets active around 80 degrees Celsius (176 Fahrenheit). The effectiveness will be lost if the nest is boiled directly at more than 80 degrees Celsius. Hence, once the pot of water boils, reduce the heat and let it simmer.

 

Bird’s Nest Soup Recipe

Bird's nest recipe cook stew double boil hot cold warm chill red date dried longan wolfberries ginseng rock sugar ginseng honey
Bird’s nest recipe

Ingredients:

  • 1 piece of Bird’s Nest (a whole nest of 8 grams for 1-2 servings)
  • 1 bowl of water (preferably filtered)
  • A few pieces of rock sugar to taste (quantity depends on how sweet you like it to be)
  • Alternatively, Organic raw honey to replace sugar.

Complementary Ingredients to add to improve the nutritional value:

  • 4-5 pieces red dates
  • 4-5 pieces dried longan
  • 4-5 pieces wolfberries
  • 4-5 slices of Korean Ginseng or American Ginseng

Steps:

  1. Soak the dried bird’s nest in a bowl of water for 8 hours.
    The end result would be a soft, expanded, fibrous gelatine bird’s nest mixture.
  2. Remove any impurities such as residual feathers with a tweezer.
  3. Add the bird’s nest in a bowl of water along with other ingredients such as red dates, dried longan, wolfberries or ginseng, into a small bowl and cover it with a lid.
  4. Place the bowl into a large pot of water for boiling, making sure half the bowl with the bird’s nest is submerged in the water.
  5. Start the heat, and observe that the water in the large pot is boiling, then cover the pot with a pot lid.
  6. Leave the pot to boil for 15 minutes.
  7. Remove bird’s nest from heat and add either organic honey or rock sugar into the mix to suit your preferred sweetness level.

Once the soup is cooled, you can have it as a warm soup or chill it in the fridge for a cold dessert later!

 

Maintaining the quality of bird’s nest

Bird nest is expensive so you want to store it safely without it deteriorating in quality and quantity.

maintain quality bird's nest refrigerator environment expiry date
Raw nests should be kept in a cool and dry environment

How do store bird’s nest?

Raw nests should be stored in a cool, dry and airtight environment, preferably in the refrigerator or somewhere away from heat. Raw bird’s nest usually has a shelf life of two years. It is important to check the expiry dates of the product before purchase. Bottled bird’s nest should be consumed within the week it’s opened and should be kept in the refrigerator. Unopened bottles usually last up to 2.5 years from its manufacturing date.

 

What is Bird’s Nest Drink made of?

Birds nest drink are made of little bird’s nest and a whole lot of sugar. Even though bottled bird nest may be “instant” and readily available at the nearest supermarket, the convenience of such pre-bottled bird’s nests may not be good for your body

Pre-bottled bird’s nest contains high and excessive levels of sugar which can cause weight gain, diabetes, and high cholesterol. It is recommended that you purchase dried bird’s nest and prepare it yourself to have control over the nutritional content. You can prepare a bottle of chilled bird’s nest as a refreshing drink on the go or even enjoy at home.

 

Where to buy birds nest in Singapore?

Here at HoneyCity, we provide bird’s nest of the highest quality at the best prices. Specially imported from the fishing villagers in Indonesia, you can be assured of the quality and standard.

With a click, you can enjoy the nutritional goodness of premium bird’s nest conveniently delivered right to your doorstep!

We have our bird’s nests listed below for your convenience so satisfy your cravings with HoneyCity today!

[vc_row][vc_column]

[/vc_column][/vc_row]

How useful was this post?

Click on a star to rate it!

Average rating 0 / 5. Vote count: 0

No votes so far! Be the first to rate this post.

As you found this post useful...

Follow us on social media!

We are sorry that this post was not useful for you!

Let us improve this post!

Tell us how we can improve this post?

Similar Posts