Archive for February 16th, 2006
Edible Bird’s Nest
globalfoodideas.com/ChineseRecipes
Ingredients
2 medium white thin-skinned potatoes, peeled and shredded lengthwise (2 cups)
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 Tbsp. salt
Vegetable oil (To determine amount of oil to use, place an empty sieve in wok, then pour enough oil to cover at least 3/4 of the sieve.)
Directions
Squeeze potato shreds to remove liquid. Place in a bowl.Â
Sprinkle 1 Tbsp. cornstarch and 1/2 tsp. salt over potatoes and toss to distribute cornstarch and salt, and to loosen shreds.Â
Arrange a handful of shreds in a 4-inch diameter sieve, covering bottom of sieve and extending at least halfway up sides. Fit a second sieve of the same size inside first one.
(If your wok has a round bottom, set wok on a ring stand* to hold the wok in place when filled with oil.)Â Heat appropriate amount of oil to 325F (165C) degrees on a deep-frying
thermometer*.
Place sieve in oil and cook until nest is golden brown (about 3 or 4 minutes). Remove from oil and lift off top sieve. Loosen edge of nest with tip of sharp knife, then gently remove nest and drain on paper towels.
Repeat, adjusting heat as necessary, to maintain oil temperature at 325F degrees.
* Ring stands and deep-frying thermometers can be found at most kitchen accessory stores.
Makes 4 or 5 nests.
For This Recipe:
The bird’s nest goes
best with lightly
sauced stir-fries.
(e.g., Bell Peppers
and Beef or a Veggie
Stir-Fry)
Â
Measurement Converter
Tips for deep-frying with a wok:
1. Successful deep-frying in a wok depends on keeping the oil at the right temperature. To prevent the oil from cooling too much when food is added, keep the wok over high heat and add food just a few pieces at a time.
2. To minimize spattering of oil, slide or lower foods into oil.
3. Remember that oil and water don’t mix. Spattering of oil can occur when moist foods hit hot oil. Make sure food to be deep-fried is as dry as possible before cooking. Make sure no water clings to utensils before putting them in wok.
4. Always let oil cool before pouring it out of the wok.
February 16th, 2006
ecologyasia.com/news-archive
KUCHING: Sarawak has recorded a sharp increase in the population of wild swiftlets following the implementation of a sustainable management plan by the Forest Department for the harvesting of bird’s nest.Â
Researcher Dr Lim Chan Koon said the number of white-nest swiftlets in a cave in middle Baram, northern Sarawak, had shot up to 6,284 from 2,796 in 1997.Â
Dr Lim, who started the research on the breeding of swiftlets there five years ago, said that in another cave in Bukit Sarang, the swiftlet population had jumped to 660 from 396 in 2000.Â
Giving a talk on Sustainable Exploitation of a Natural Resource – Edible Bird’s Nest at the Malaysian Chemical Congress here, he said that under the first sustainable management plan introduced in 1998, no harvest of the product between January and April was allowed.Â
A second plan adopted two years later imposed a collection ban for any four continuous months, following which monthly harvests were permitted.Â
The four-month break allowed one complete breeding cycle of the swiftlets, including 30 days for nest-building, 25 days for incubation and between 45 and 49 days for the hatchings to grow until they leave the nest.Â
Dr Lim said uncontrolled and indiscriminate harvesting of bird’s nests over the years had caused a drastic decline in nest production and the wild swiftlets population in the Niah Cave.Â
“The swiftlet population there dropped from 1.7 million in 1935 to 200,000 in 1996 and 65,000 this year,” he added.Â
To arrest the sharp decline, the Forest Department imposed a four-month ban early this year on the collection of bird’s nest there.Â
The Niah Cave was once the state’s largest producer of black nests, with annual yields measured in tonnes. Â
Dr Lim said the government carried out two year-long comprehensive studies of the breeding of the black-nest and white-nest swiftlets in 1997 and 2000. Â
Of the five species of swiflets found in Sarawak, only three – black, white and glossy swiftlets – produce nests of commercial value. Â
Dr Lim said freshly collected white nests were worth between RM5,000 and RM7,000 per kilo in 1994. Â
He said commercial swiftlet farming in Sarawak had started where buildings with a cave-like environment were put up.
February 16th, 2006
.foodsciencecentral.com
Edible birds’ nests produced by several different species of swiflet are consumed by humans as a delicacy or in traditional Chinese medicine. The nests are constructed from a glutinous material found in the saliva secreted from the glands of the swiflets. They command a high retail price and are therefore often referred to as the ‘caviar of the East’.
The white nest and the red ‘blood’ nest are usually prepared for consumption by cooking in a double boiler with sugar. The bird’s nest soup obtained is consumed as a medicinal food tonic and possesses haemoglutination inhibiting action against the influenza virus. However, there is relatively little information about the composition and nutritional properties of the edible bird’s nest.
Because the salivary nest cement is one of the most expensive ingredients in the world, the adulteration of edible birds’ nests with less expensive materials has increased sharply over the past few years. Common adulterants include karaya gum, red seaweed and Tremella fungus. These ingredients are usually incorporated during the processing stages at levels around 10% and can be difficult to detect due to their similar colour, taste, appearance and texture to the actual salivary nest cement.
A study by Marcone1 investigated the compositional properties of the white nest and the red blood nest using SDS-PAGE fingerprinting and various analytical techniques for detecting adulterants (karaya gum, red seaweed and Tremella fungus). Using crude protein determination, it was found that these adulterants could reduce the overall protein content of the genuine white nest by 1.1-6.6%. A modified xanthoproteic nitric acid test for proteins was found to be a rapid and simple method for detecting adulteration in both whole and ground nests.
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1 Marcone, MF (2005). Characterization of the edible bird’s nest the ‘Caviar of the East’. Food Research International 38 (10) 1125-1134.
Click on the logo below to view an abstract of this paper from FSTA Direct.
February 16th, 2006
kinderart® kitchen recipe - edible
kinderart.com/kitchen/birdsnest
Submitted by Amanda Formaro from
FamilyCorner.com
This fun craft is not only adorable when done, but it’s tasty too! Sit the kids down to make this fun spring project. Be sure to make extras for friends and family.
You will need:
• Chow mein noodles
• chocolate chips or brick chocolate
• Jelly beans
• candy coated chocolate eggs
• marshmallow chicks
• peanut butter
• wax paper
• paper plates (colored plates optional)
Directions:
Place squares of wax paper onto to individual plates. Put chow mien noodles in a large bowl. If using brick chocolate, break into pieces. Melt chocolate chips or pieces in the microwave, or over low heat on stove, just until melted. Pour melted chocolate over chow mien noodles, mix together to coat.
Place mounds of chocolate/chow mien mixture onto several plates (on top of waxed paper). Have children form the mixtures into nests. Be sure the chocolate has cooled, but don’t wait too long or it will harden!
Using peanut butter as an adhesive, “glue” down the jelly beans and candy coated chocolate eggs inside the nest cavity. “Glue” marshmallow chick on the edge of or inside of the nest.
These make fun gifts from kids to their friends, teacher and family members. You can also make these nests at birthday parties as a fun and edible take home party favor.
BIO:
Amanda Formaro is the mother of four children. She and her husband live in southern Nevada. She is also the owner of the online family magazine, familycorner.com.
February 16th, 2006