Preparing and consuming bird nest during pregnancy

*Items were purchased by myself

Bird nest is a chinese delicacy that is consumed by the high-ranking officials, wealthy people and the royal family in the past. Like the name suggests, it is the nest of swallows, and is thought to be rich in nutrients like collagen, amino acids and anti-oxidants. Until now, chinese have the tradition of consuming bird nest, especially during pregnancy and confinement to ‘bu’ the body.

There are many fake bird nest on the market, so to ensure I am eating the real stuff, I got mine it from the reputable Hock Hua. When I was like 6 weeks pregnant, my hubby pampered me with 3 liang (两) ‘gong’ yan, which is a good grade of bird nest heh. This amount can last me throughout my entire pregnancy if I consume every fortnight. It is believed that consuming bird nest during pregnancy can give your baby good complexion as well.

I tried taking the bottled bird nest before, and they taste really fake. Like the texture and taste are super off. So, I never consume the bottled ones.

Btw, this pregnancy is the first time I am preparing my own bird nest, but I am quite experienced now. The salesperson from Hock Hua was very helpful with teaching me how to prepare, and also recommend me other stuff for pregnancy, and what herbs to avoid etc. *thumbs up

First, I got the slow cooker:

 

1) Soak the bird nest until soft in tap water. This may take up to an hour.

I usually consume one whole piece, which is actually quite alot. Is even sufficient for 2 people.

2) Add the softened bird nest, together with about 250mL of water. Using slow cooker or the double-boil method, no lost of water volume.

3) Switch on and turn to high. For my cooker, it takes about 45 mins if I started out with room temperature water. But it is much faster if I use hot water.

4) Add 2 tablespoon of rock sugar and further cook for another 5-10 minutes. Buying bird nest from Hock Hua, they will give free rock sugar.

5) Serve warm or chilled. Wala!

 

xoxo,

Healthy Pregnancy recipes: Double-boiled soups

Chinese double-boiled soups are super nourishing, savory and healthy for pregnancy. To highlight its goodness, double-boiled soup is a must during confinement for full/quick postnatal recovery.

I am going to share several of my soup recipes that I have been taking during my entire pregnancy, so these recipes are completely safe for consumption during pregnancy. But take in moderation, and consult your gynae first if unsure or unstable pregnancy.

 

#1: Lotus root soup with pork ribs and fishballs

Serves 2

280g lotus root (peeled and cut cross-section)

240g spare ribs

1/2 carrot (peeled and cut cross-section)

4-6 fishballs

1/2 handful of peanuts

1 dried cuttlefish, 5 pieces of dried scallops (wash before use)

Instructions: Blanched spare ribs for 5 minutes before use to remove scum. Add everything to 1.5L of water. Boil for 10 minutes and then turn to low simmer heat for 1 hour.

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#2: Black bean soup with pork ribs

 Serves 2

150g black beans (soak before use)

240g spare ribs

6 red dates

1 dried cuttlefish (wash before use)

Instructions: Blanched spare ribs for 5 minutes before use to remove scum. Add everything to 1.8L of water. Boil for 10 minutes and then turn to low simmer heat for 1 hour.

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#3: Clear chicken soup

Serves 1

1 piece of chicken drumstick

3 dried scallops

5 dried longans

1/2 handful of wolfberries

2 dried chinese yam

1/2-1 mushroom

Instructions: Blanched chicken for 5 minutes before use to remove scum. Wash the rest of the dried ingredients for at least 5 minutes. Add everything to 1L of water. Boil for 10 minutes and then turn to low simmer heat for 1-1.5 hours.

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#4: ABC soup with pork ribs

Serves 2-3

250g spare ribs

2 potato

1 carrot

1 tomato

1 corn

1/2 onion

Instructions: Blanched spare ribs for 5 minutes before use to remove scum. Chop into bite size and wash the vegetables. Add everything to 1.5L of water/or enough to cover. Boil for 10 minutes and then turn to low simmer heat for 1 hour.

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#5: Old cucumber soup with pork ribs

Serves 2

250g spare ribs

1 small-medium size old cucumber (cut length-wise into half, then cross-section)

1 carrot

Handful of red dates

1 dried cuttlefish, 1/2 handful of dried scallops (wash before use)

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*Although some soups are more of a cooling nature, e.g. old cucumber, winter melon, it is suitable for heaty climate like Singapore, so can take in moderation.

*For chicken herbal soups, I avoided those sold outside. This is because I do not know the exact ingredients used in their soup, and some chinese herbs are known to cause uterine contractions, bleeding etc. I will only take those that I prepared myself, like my clear chicken soup.

xoxo,