There is no one definitive recipe for bird's nest soup. The dish is traditionally made with swiftlet nests, which are composed of the bird's saliva, and chicken broth. Some recipes also call for adding ginger, scallions, and Shaoxing wine.
Preparation:Soak bird's nest in cold water overnight.
Drain andrinse.
Spread softened nest pieces on plate; pick out prominentpieces of foreign matter (e.
g.
feathers, twigs) with tweezers.
Debone chicken breast, remove membrane and muscle fiber, pound meatwith cleaver handle to break down tissue, mince chicken until it ispulp.
Make medium thick paste with cornstarch and chicken stock.
Cooking:Bring rich chicken stock for soup to boil.
Immediately addbird's nest; simmer 30 minutes.
Mix dry sherry and remaining stock;dribble slowly into minced chicken.
Lightly beat egg whites with afork; fold gently into chicken so they are not completely blended.
Add salt to soup.
Bring soup back to boil and add chicken mixtureslowly so soup does not cool.
When soup returns to boil, it is readyto serve.
You can hold it at this point on low heat.
Pour intoserving bowl, garnish with green onions and ham.
Serves 6~ .