Name: Chicken Fu Yung Swift’s Nest Soup (鷄蓉燕窩湯)
Yield: It serves 6 as a first course.
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 2 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon water; 1 pound boneless and skinless chicken breast; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 tablespoon minced cooked Smithfield ham; 3 tablespoons water; Salt to taste; ⅛ teaspoon white pepper; 2 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 3 tablespoons stock; 1 small knob peeled ginger (about 1 inch square), crushed; 1 cup loosely packed ground bird’s nest; 4 cups rich chicken stock; 2 egg whites, beaten until frothy

Preparation info

It serves
6
as a first course.

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

The Key to Chinese Cooking

By Irene Kuo

Published 1977

About

This is a gastronomic exercise in matching a delicate but savory taste to a brittle texture; one complements the other with perfect balance. With no taste of its own, the bird’s nest depends on other ingredients for flavor. Nevertheless, the seasonings shouldn’t be strong or they will overwhelm the lightness of the nests. Using a rich stock for flavor, fu yung chicken for a creamy consistency, and minced Smithfield ham for accent, this fluffy white soup is really a marvel of sophistication.