Steamed Bird’s Nest Soup
Birds’ nests are prized in Chinese culture, so this soup is for special occasions when you really want to impress! Follow this recipe for a soup that’s fit for royalty.
- Serves:
- 4
- Prep Time:
- 10 min
- Cook Time:
- 8 min
Ingredients
Nutrition Facts
- Calories
- 149
- Fat
- 1.5 g
- Saturated Fat
- 0.3 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Sodium
- 775 mg
- Sugars
- 9 g
- Protein
- 9 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
- Carbohydrate
- 25 g
- 1 tsp (5 mL) Cooking oil (canola or vegetable)
- 4 Egg whites
- 8 1/2 oz (245 g) Bird’s nest (bottled, “ready to serve” bird’s nest is recommended)
- 8 Parsley leaves
- 3 cups (750 mL) Chicken stock
- 1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) Salt
- 1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) Sugar
- 2 oz (60 g) Cornstarch
- 1 oz (30 g) Minced, cured ham
Instructions
-
Brush the inside of 8 pearl-shaped Chinese soup spoons with cooking oil.
-
Stir the egg whites in a bowl and pour into soup spoons. Add ½ oz. of bird’s nest in each spoon and garnish with parsley leaves.
-
Boil water in a large pot. Place the spoons on a rack above the water level in the pot. Cover and steam on medium to high heat for 5 minutes.
-
The eggs will form pearl shapes. Separate them from the spoons and set them aside on a plate for later use.
-
Boil chicken stock in a pot for 3 minutes and add 8 oz. of bird’s nest. (This is separate from the bird’s nest we added in step 2.)
-
Add salt and sugar in the pot, and cook for another 30 seconds. Thicken with cornstarch and stir for one minute. Your soup is now complete.
-
Divide the finished soup into 4 soup bowls, and garnish with 2 egg white pearls each (from step 4) and cured ham. Serve immediately.
Notes
Tip: If your bottled bird’s nest contains sugar, adjust the amount of sugar added accordingly