How to cook bird's nest delicious and nutritious

If you want to cook bird's nests deliciously and nutritiously, first of all, the soaking of bird's nests is a science. According to the humidity of the season, the water temperature in the room, and the difference between morning and evening, the soaked bird's nests will be completely different. First of all, there are several types of bird's nests, such as alkaline fermentation, evaporation, and soaking. In the process of soaking bird's nests, you must pay attention to the taste, softness and variety of the bird's nests. When cooking the bird's nest, you must control the heat. The bird's nest cannot be cooked for too long, because if it is cooked too long, it will cause the bird's nest to melt.

Production process

Soaking bird's nest is a science. The bird's nest that is soaked will be very different depending on the type of bird's nest, the chef, seasonal humidity, room and water temperature, and even the time of day. Here are a few hair methods:

Alkali

(Old style of hair extension, not recommended). Soak the bird's nest in warm water, rinse it two or three times with clean water (be careful to keep the shape neat), and then soak it in cold water; pour out the water before use, mix the bird's nest with alkaline flour, generally 1.5 grams of alkaline flour is used for 50 grams of bird's nest (if the bird's nest is older, 2.5 grams can be used), add boiling water to lift it; when the bird's nest swells, pour out half of the alkaline water, and then lift it with boiling water three or four times, until it expands to 3 times the original size, feels soft and astringent when rubbed, and breaks when pinched; then rinse to remove the alkaline flour, soak it in cold water for later use. Just absorb the moisture with a dry cloth before cooking.

evaporation

Also known as upper basket and steamer. It is a means of pre-cooking cooking ingredients, not a method of cooking them into dishes. The clean ingredients that have undergone preliminary processing are steamed to the degree of being half-cooked, half-cooked or just cooked, thus reducing the cooking time for the finished dish. First soak the bird's nest in 50℃ water, and when the water cools down, change to 70℃ water and soak it. Take it out after it expands, protect it and do not break it. Rinse it twice in different water, blanch it in 80℃ water, wash and put it in a bowl, steam it on low heat until it is loose and soft.

Foaming

Also known as soaking and material processing. Use water as a solvent to soak the dry ingredients until they are puffy, soft and tender before cooking. After the dry ingredients reabsorb moisture, they can restore their original freshness and softness to the greatest extent. Water-based hair growth can be divided into the following categories according to water temperature: 1. Cold water (or warm water). Also known as soaking hair and bleaching hair.

The water temperature is generally around 40℃, normal temperature in summer and warm water in winter. Soak the bird's nest in cold water for two hours, remove the feathers and impurities, then put it into a boiling water pot, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes. If it is not yet soft, change to boiling water and simmer for another 30 minutes. Because there is a simmering process in the cooking process, it cannot be fully softened to prevent over-simmering and erosion, loss of strip shape and soft taste. Remove when suitable and soak in cold water for later use. Before use, blanch in boiling water for about 2 minutes before cooking. This method is suitable for soups and stews.

Hot water (recommended for emergency use only). Also known as soaking, boiling and stewing. Immerse the dry bird's nest material in hot water. By heating it, the penetration rate of water molecules is increased, which makes the dry bird's nest material fully expand, so as to achieve the effect that is difficult to achieve with water at room temperature. When making bird's nests, the water and tools used to make the bird's nests must be clean and free from oil stains, otherwise the quality of making them will be affected.

The expansion rate is an important parameter to measure the quality of bird's nest. High-quality bird's nest, such as the well-known domestic brand Fulinmen Bird's Nest, can have an expansion rate of more than 7 times. Also note: the bird's nest has a soft or glutinous texture, and the ingredients should have more smooth tastes and less adverse tastes. Bird's nest dishes are available in all cuisines and come in many varieties, and are all used as the main dish at banquets.