2.6 Share Happiness

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Chicken and Ham Soup with Bird’s Nest

Servings: 3-4

Function:

Deficiency and qi tonifying, nourishing, beauty benefiting, and spleen and stomach invigorating

Ingredients:

Bird’s nest 20g

Dehydration Natural Shiitake Mushroom 15g

Jinhua ham 20g

Chicken breast around 120g

Chicken broth 500ml

Hot water 250ml

Marinade:

Potato starch 1 1/2 tsp

White pepper powder 1/2 tsp

Light soy sauce 1/2 tsp

Water 60ml

Potato starch mixture:

Potato starch 10 tsp

Water 150ml

Method:

1. Soak and double boil bird’s nest. Set aside.

2. Soak shiitake mushroom in water for 1 day. Rinse and remove stems. Julienne.

3. Rinse Jinhua ham. Add into boiling water. Blanch for 1-2 minutes over high heat. Take out and julienne.

4. Rinse chicken breast. Pat-dry. Mince and stir in marinade. Marinate for 30 minutes or more.

5. Heat a pot over high heat. Add 1 1/2 tbsp of oil. Fry mushroom and ham until fragrant. Pour in chicken broth and hot water. Bring to a boil. Skim off scum on the surface.

6. Reduce heat to low. Stir in minced chicken. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low. Stir in potato starch mixture. Bring to a boil again. Turn off heat. Add bird’s nest. Serve.

Tips:

- Blanch Jinhua ham can remove its grease and the salty taste. It is normal to find some white crystal of salt after blanching. Do cutting as soon as it's blanched otherwise it may become tough after dried.

- Cut Jinhua ham along the grain to keep the meat intact.

- Add water when marinating chicken can bring chicken a more tender texture; water will be absorbed while stirring.

- Bring chicken broth to a boil first before adding in minced chicken, otherwise the soup will become murky. Turn heat to low before adding in minced chicken so that the chicken will not be cooked in a short time and formed into lumps with tough texture.

Nutrition Information:

Chicken – body warming, qi tonifying, essence replenishing and bone marrow benefiting.

Jinhua ham – have functions of kidneys and stomach invigorating, fluid engendering, deficiency treating, yang enriching, and bone strengthening. They are nutritious, and rich in proteins and amino acids.

Shiitake mushroom – rich in protein and amino acid. They are nutritious ingredients to be consumed and a kind of healthy food. According to The Compendium of Materia Medica, shiitake mushroom is calm in nature, sweet in taste and can invigorate spleen and stomach, tonify qi and promote appetite, etc.

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Bird’s Nest and Fish Lettuce Cup

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

Bird’s nest 15g

Chinese lettuce 1 head

Frozen flatfish 830g (boneless 350g)

Celery 50g

Carrot 50g

Water chestnut 6

Pine nut 30g

Chicken broth 300ml

Salt 1/4 tsp

Chicken powder 1/4 tsp

Marinade:

Salt 1/3 tsp

White pepper powder 3/4 tsp

Chicken powder 1/3 tsp

Rice wine 1 tsp

Potato starch 2 1/2 tsp

Method:

1. Soak and double boil bird’s nest. Set aside.

2. Cut off the top and the bottom of Chinese lettuce. Rinse. Trim into oval shape. Soak in water for 1 hour. Set aside.

3. Tear off tough strings of celery. Rinse and dice finely. Peel, rinse and finely dice carrot and water chestnut.

4. Bring chicken broth to a boil. Turn off heat. Add bird’s nest and soak for 20 minutes. Drain.

5. Transfer frozen flatfish from freezer (-18°C or below) to fridge (0-8°C). Let defrost. Take out and remove skin and bones. Rinse and chop finely. Add marinade and stir in one direction. Marinate for around 15 minutes.

6. Heat half wok of oil over high heat. Reduce heat to low. Deep-fry pine nuts until floating on the surface and take out.

7. Heat 2 tbsp of oil over high heat. Add carrot, water chestnut and celery, stir-fry briefly. Take out.

8. Heat 1 tbsp of oil over high heat. Add chopped flatfish and stir-fry until creamy-white. Return carrot, water chestnut and celery to wok and stir-fry briefly. Add salt and chicken powder. Turn off heat. Stir in bird’s nest. Dish up. Put onto the lettuce cups. Sprinkle pine nuts. Serve.

Tips:

- Do not defrost frozen flatfish at room temperature or in water to prevent bacteria growth and destroying the quality.

- Be aware that pine nuts will turn more golden in colour after taking out from oil, so it is recommended to not deep-frying for too long time or they may get burnt.

- Do not chopping fish to too fine, otherwise they may be too loose after stir-frying and affect the texture.

Nutrition Information:

Pine nut - rich in proteins, unsaturated fatty acid, minerals and vitamin E etc. They have functions of body strengthening, lungs and intestines nourishing, and skin and beauty benefiting etc.

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Bird’s Nest Stuffed Bamboo Fungus in Chicken Broth

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

Bird’s nest 10g

Bamboo fungus 20g (about 4)

Jinhua ham 20g

Broccoli 1

Chicken broth 400ml

Potato starch mixture:

Potato starch 20g

Water 50ml

Method:

1. Soak and double boil bird’s nest. Set aside.

2. Soak bamboo fungus in water for 30 minutes. Rinse. Remove stem and bottom part. Add into boiling water and blanch for 3 minutes over high heat.

3. Add Jinhua ham into boiling water. Blanch for 2 minutes over high heat. Take out and julienne.

4. Cut broccoli into pieces. Soak in salt water for 1 hour. Rinse. Add into boiling water. Blanch for 2-3 minutes over high heat.

5. Mix Jinhua ham and bird’s nest well. Stuff into bamboo fungus.

6. Steam for 10 minutes over medium high heat.

7. Bring chicken broth to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Add potato starch mixture and cook to make the sauce. Turn to high heat and bring to a boil. Turn off heat.

8. Dish up the steamed bamboo fungus. Pour the sauce. Add broccoli as decoration. Serve.

Tips:

- Cut Jinhua ham along the grain to keep the meat intact.

- When stuffing bird’s nest and Jinhua ham into the bamboo fungus, it is suggested to stuff the ingredients little by little with chopsticks, to avoid breaking the bamboo fungus.

- When making the sauce, control the heat well to bring the sauce smooth and clear.

Nutrition Information:

Bamboo fungus – have functions of qi tonifying, kidneys invigorating, detoxifying and fat removing. They are rich in proteins, carbohydrates and various amino acids.

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Steamed Egg White with Bird’s Nest and Scallop

Servings: 2-3

Ingredients:

Bird’s nest 30g

Hokkaido frozen scallop 200g

Egg white 150g

Chicken broth 300g

Marinade:

Chicken powder 1/2 tsp

Potato starch 1 tsp

Method:

1. Soak and steam (soak in water) bird’s nest. Set aside.

2. Transfer frozen scallops from freezer (-18°C or below) to fridge (0-8°C). Let defrost. Rinse, pat-dry and dice.

3. Marinate scallops with marinade for 2 minutes.

4. Add scallops into boiling water. Blanch for 2 minutes over high heat.

5. Beat egg white briefly. Stir-in chicken broth. Beat until the mixture does not stick to the whisk. Let stand for around 5 minutes. Skim off scum on the surface and the chicken broth and egg mixture is ready.

6. Put bird’s nest onto a plate evenly.

7. Add scallops. Pour in the chicken broth and egg mixture.

8. Steam for 5 minutes over medium heat. Lift the lid to let the steam release for 1 minute. Cover with lid. Steam for a further 5 minutes. Serve.

Tips:

- Do not defrost frozen scallop at room temperature or in water to prevent bacteria from growing and destroying the quality.

- Pat-dry scallop before mixing with marinade, otherwise egg white will be affected and failed in coagulation.

- It is recommended to use a plate with a longer diameter so that the contact surface area of egg white and steam can be increased and reduce the steaming time.

- Lift the lid when steaming the egg white can release the steam; it can prevent the formation of bubbles on the surface of the egg white and create a smooth texture.

Nutrition Information:

Frozen scallop - found from pure sea areas in Hokkaido. They are rich in taurine, which can boost brain performance and development. They also contain zinc, vitamin B12, folic acid and other nutrition.

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Bird’s Nest and Shrimp Egg Roll

Servings: 3

Ingredients:

Bird’s nest 40g

Minced shrimp 150g

Jinhua ham 20g

Egg 3

Deep-frying powder 200g

Water 375ml

Method:

1. Soak and steam bird’s nest. Set aside.

2. Beat minced shrimp until very sticky with hand.

3. Add Jinhua ham into boiling water. Blanch for 2 minutes over high heat. Take out and julienne. Mix with minced shrimp.

4. Beat egg until the mixture does not stick to the whisk.

5. Heat a flat-bottom pan over medium heat. Brush a little oil with a basting brush. Pan-fry beaten eggs to egg sheet. Take out carefully and place on a plate. Repeat step to make 3 egg sheets.

6. Add Jinhua ham and minced shrimp, bird’s nest onto egg sheet. Roll up.

7. Mix deep-frying powder with 6 tbsp of oil. Stir in water to make deep-frying batter.

8. Heat a wok with oil over high heat. Dip egg rolls with batter evenly. Deep-fry until golden. Take out

Tips:

Adding oil to make the deep-frying batter can bring the deep-fried food crispier. However, do not add water too late when oil and powder have been mixed into dough; as gluten may be formed at the stage and result in the deep-fried food will be not crispy enough.

- Cut Jinhua ham along the grain to keep the meat intact.

Nutrition Information:

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Steamed Bird’s Nest Shrimp balls, Abalone and Hairy Gourd

Servings: 8

Ingredients:

Bird’s nest 15g

Canned abalone 1 can

Minced shrimp 150g

Crab stick 2 (approx. 20g)

Hairy ground 2

Chicken broth 200ml

Oyster sauce 40g

Potato starch mixture:

Potato starch 3 tsp

Water 40ml

Method:

1. Soak bird’s nest. Drain and set aside.

2. Rinse hairy ground. Peel and remove stem. Cut into pieces. Spoon out the middle part with a spoon.

3. Add hairy ground into boiling water. Blanch for 10-15 minutes over high heat until tender. Take out and drain.

4. Drain abalones. Slice and put onto the blanched hairy grounds.

5. Dice crab sticks. Mix with minced shrimp.

6. Squeeze into balls with hand.

7. Roll shrimp balls with bird’s nest. Put onto the hairy grounds. Steam for 30 minutes over medium heat. Take out.

8. Bring oyster sauce and chicken broth to slightly boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low. Add potato starch mixture. Turn to high heat and cook until sauce thickens. Pour over the hairy grounds. Serve.

Nutrition Information:

Abalone – have functions of body and skin nourishing, blood pressure regulating, liver and eyes benefiting, yin enriching and heat removing. They have high nutrition value and are high in protein. In particular, the yin enriching and eyes benefiting functions are extremely potent, therefore very suitable for people whose liver, kidney and eyes are in weak condition.

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Scallop Soup with Bird’s Nest

Servings: 3-4

Function:

Yin nourishing, beauty benefiting, and liver and kidneys invigorating

Ingredients:

Bird’s nest 20g

Hokkaido frozen scallop 120g

Broken dried scallop (Hokkaido dried Scallop - Broken) 15g

Dried shiitake mushroom 3

Spring onion 2 stalks

Water 250ml

Chicken broth 500ml

Marinade:

Salt 1/4 tsp

Potato starch 1 1/2 tsp

White pepper powder 1/2 tsp

Potato starch mixture:

Water 4 tbsp

Potato starch 3 tbsp

Method:

1. Soak and double boil bird’s nest. Set aside.

2. Soak shiitake mushrooms in water for 1 day. Drain. Remove stems and julienne.

3. Rinse dried scallops. Add water to just cover the surface. Soak for 30-60 minutes (depends on size). Set aside with water.

4. Transfer the frozen scallops from freezer (-18°C or below) to fridge (0-8°C). Let defrost. Rinse, pat-dry and slice.

5. Add marinade into scallops. Rinse and finely dice spring onion.

6. Heat 1 tbsp of oil over medium heat. Fry broken dried scallops and shiitake mushrooms until fragrant. Bring water, the soaking water from dried scallops and chicken broth to a boil. Add the scallops bring to a boil again. Skim off scum on the surface.

7. Reduce heat to low. Add potato starch mixture. Bring to a boil over high heat. Turn off heat.

8. Add bird’s nest and spring onion. Stir well. Serve.

Nutrition Information:

Hokkaido dried scallop – a kind of seafood which is high in protein and low in fat, and is able to nourish yin and kidneys.

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Abalone and Bird’s Nest Congee

Servings: 3-4

Function:

Yin nourishing, beauty benefiting, liver and eyes strengthening, spleen and stomach invigorating

Ingredients:

Bird’s nest 20g

Lean pork 150g

Small greenlip abalone 80g (about 4)

Pearl rice 75g

Water 2,000ml

Salt 1/4 tsp

Coriander 2 stalks

Marinade:

Chicken powder 1 tsp

Potato starch 1 1/2 tsp

White pepper powder 1/2 tsp

Water 50ml

Method:

1. Soak and double boil bird’s nest. Set aside.

2. Rinse pearl rice. Soak in water for 15 minutes.

3. Rinse lean pork, julienne and stir in marinade.

4. Rinse abalone. Cut off the pointed end and slice.

5. Rinse and finely dice coriander.

6. Pour water into a clay pot. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add pearl rice, lean pork and abalone. Bring to a boil and turn to medium-high heat. Cook to congee. Keep stirring while cooking.

7. Add bird’s nest. Cook for 5 minutes over low heat. Stir in salt before consuming. Sprinkle coriander. Serve.

Tips:

Add pearl rice in boiling water to prevent rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot and getting burnt.

Add water when marinating pork can bring pork a more tender texture; water will be absorbed while stirring.

Nutrition Information: