Edible bird’s nest ◆

Nid d’hirondelle

What it is

The nest is built almost entirely from the male swiftlet’s own hardened saliva, laid down in strands over about thirty-five days. Since the late 1990s the great Bornean limestone caves have been overtaken as a source by purpose-built concrete bird houses, which now supply most of a trade priced between one and ten thousand dollars a kilo.

In the kitchen

Soak in cool water four to six hours until the strands separate, then tweeze out every feather before cooking. It is double-boiled, never simmered directly — a covered bowl set in a pot of water for two hours keeps the strands whole instead of dissolving them.

Goes with

Chinese rock sugar Ginger Goji berry Jujube Coconut Chicken

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