Bird’s Nest Congee

By Annie Leong, Author of Look and Cook with Annie

50 grams (2 ounces) bird’s nest
50 grams (2 ounces) chicken breast
175-225 grams (6-8 ounces) potatoes
4 cups superior chicken stock
1 egg white
¼ cup Chinese Jinhua ham, finely minced for garnish

Chicken marinade:
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon Chinese Shaoxing wine
1 teaspoon cornstarch

Cornstarch mix:
5-6 tablespoons cornstarch
4 tablespoons water

1. Peel the potatoes, cut into thick slices and steam for 15 minutes. Use the back of a chopper (or heavy cleaver) to mash the sliced potato; place the mash into a bowl and set aside.

2. Remove the membrane, the white tendon and remaining muscle fibre from the chicken breast and cut into strips. Liquidize the chicken, together with the chicken marinade, in a blender with ½ cup water until it becomes pulpy. Pour this chicken puree into a bowl.

3. Blend the mashed potato with the chicken stock in a blender until smooth. Put the potato puree through a fine sieve to remove lumps. This is now a potato puree soup. Pour the soup into a saucepan, and gently and slowly bring it to a boil. Gradually dribble the hot potato soup into the chicken puree, stirring all the time. When this is well-mixed, transfer to a saucepan and bring slowly to a boil. Now thicken the soup with the cornstarch mix.  Bring slowly to a boil again. Add the prepared bird’s nest (see instructions below) and again, bring to a boil.

Preparing the bird’s nest:
1. Soak the bird’s nest in cold water for 2 hours. Drain. Bring 4 cups water to boil in a saucepan. Switch off heat. Add the bird’s nest, then cover and let stand overnight.

2. The next morning, drain the bird’s nest through a fine sieve. Sprinkle a pinch of salt onto the bird’s nest to discharge the water. Gently squeeze dry with your fingers. Inspect the bird’s nest to make sure they are clean and free of feathers. If they are not, use a pair of fine tweezers to remove any dirt or feathers.

3. Place the bird’s nest together with a piece of ginger into a bowl and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Then either steam or double boil over high heat for 30-45 minutes. The steamed bird’s nest will have formed a cake and is now ready for use.