Ingredients
100 g white bird's nest, 100 g pigeon eggs, 50 g ham, 25 g cilantro.
Seasonings
5 g salt, 10 g Shaoxing wine, 1 g MSG.
Instructions
1. Rinse the bird's nest in warm water, then place it in water heated to 90% boiling and cover to steep for 3 hours. Remove and use tweezers to pick out any feathers and impurities from the bird's nest. Rinse thoroughly with clean water, then soak in an alkaline solution for 1 hour to allow it to expand. Rinse off the alkaline solution with warm water, tear the bird's nest into shreds, and soak in clean water. Cut the ham into small diamond-shaped pieces and the remaining ham into fine shreds for later use.
2. Grease 12 soup spoons with a thin layer of oil, crack one quail egg into each spoon, then arrange ham slices and cilantro leaves on two of them, steam until set, and remove to create "willow-leaf quail eggs."
3. Remove the bird's nest from the water and drain thoroughly. In a wok, add clear broth and bring to a boil. Briefly blanch the bird's nest in the broth, then remove and place it in a soup bowl. Arrange fine ham shreds and cilantro leaves on top, then place the steamed willow-leaf-shaped quail eggs around the bird's nest.
4. In a separate clean pot, pour in the clear broth, add salt and Shaoxing wine, bring to a boil and skim off any foam, then add MSG and gently pour the broth around the bird's nest into the bowl. This soup features snow-white bird's nest, pigeon eggs shaped like willow leaves, a crystal-clear broth, and a fresh, mellow flavor.